[In Pictures] Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul Chahar and other Punjab Kings stars sweat hard in IPL 2023 pre-season camp
Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan has kicked off his practice sessions for IPL 2023 along with other squad members. The likes of Rahul Chahar, Jitesh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Prabh Simran Singh, Shivam Singh, and Vidwath Kaverappa also attended the team's pre-season camp.
Shikhar Dhawan uploaded seven pictures from Punjab's pre-season practice for IPL 2023. The team's spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi was also present at the camp. Captioning the post on Instagram, Dhawan wrote:
"The Shers are back roaring in their den!"
Dhawan did not mention the venue where the Punjab Kings had their pre-season practice session, but the caption suggests that they were at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.
For the first time since the 2019 season, the Punjab Kings will play their home matches in Mohali this year. PBKS is one of the two IPL teams that have decided to use two home venues for IPL 2023 league stage matches. Apart from Mohali, Dharamsala will also be their home stadium this season.
Punjab Kings have not qualified for IPL Playoffs since 2014
Despite being a part of every IPL season so far, PBKS has never won the championship. In fact, they have not qualified for the playoffs in any season since 2014. They topped the standings in 2014 and made it to the final, where they lost against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
PBKS dropped their IPL 2022 captain Mayank Agarwal from the squad after their failure to qualify for the playoffs last season. Ahead of the IPL 2023 Mini Auction, PBKS named veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan as their new skipper.
It will be exciting to see how the Kings perform in IPL 2023. They have strengthened their squad by signing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 Player of the Series, Sam Curran.