Is Shikhar Dhawan playing today's CSK vs PBKS IPL 2024 match?
Shikhar Dhawan is not featuring for Punjab Kings in their clash with Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on Wednesday, May 1. The team management has entrusted the same line-up to continue the winning momentum.
Here's what skipper Sam Curran said during the toss:
"We'll bowl first. Looks like a good surface, new wicket and we're excited after that last match. An amazing stadium and an amazing crowd, we'll have to start well and take early wickets. We'll take the confidence from that chase of 261. It's just about fight and determination, they're a good team, but we need to be brave. Same team for us."
Punjab Kings coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed that Dhawan missed the Rajasthan Royals game due to a shoulder injury. In his absence, Curran has been leading the Punjab side.
According to Bangar, Shikhar Dhawan would have been out of action for 7-10 days.
"He's having a shoulder injury, so he is likely to be out for at least a couple of days, I would say," Bangar said at a post-match conference. "We have to wait and see how he responds to the treatment. At the moment, it seems that he could be out of action for at least seven-ten days."
Shikhar Dhawan missed the action for the rest of April. In terms of his form, the veteran batter has garnered 152 runs in five games, with a top score of 70 against the Gujarat Titans.
Shikhar Dhawan's PBKS completed a record chase against KKR
In their last outing, the Punjab Kings met the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. Their bowlers had a bad outing, as KKR went on to score 261, with Phil Salt and Sunil Narine slamming 70+ runs each.
In pursuit of 262, Punjab started on a strong note with Prabhsimran Singh (54). Then, Jonny Bairstow returned to form with a sensational knock of 108* off 48 balls and Shashank Singh's blistering knock of 68 off 28 helped Punjab seal the highest-ever T20 chase with eight balls to spare.
It will be interesting to see if Shikhar Dhawan can make a comeback in the coming games and help Punjab seal a playoff spot.