Shikhar Dhawan is all set to lead Punjab Kings against Kolkata Knight Riders in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which began on March 31, 2023. Both sides will face each other in the afternoon game of day 2, April 1, Saturday.
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Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has shared his views regarding the game on his YouTube channel and pointed out that the game is tilted slightly towards Kolkata. Chopra justified his prediction owing to the unavailability of several overseas players in the Punjab team.
"Punjab has a few issues to address. Earlier it seemed only Jonny Bairstow might not be there but even Liam Livingstone is not there for this match. Kagiso Rabada has also still not come. So it seems their hands are tied", said Aakash.
“They have kept Matthew Short. I feel you can play him as well because you don't have too many options. After that, you have Bhanuka Rajapaksa and then you look towards Jitesh Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh. You also look towards Sikandar Raza because you don't have too many overseas batter options.", he further added.
Watch the video here:
Moreover, Aakash Chopra said that Shahrukh Khan was bought for a hefty amount, and hence, he should considerably deliver for the Dhawan-led franchise. Not only this, but he also expressed that the Knight Riders have their own set of problems, pointing towards the unavailability of Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan.
The former Indian opener feels that Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora and Kulwant Khejroliya can be Impact Player options for the Kolkata team as bowling options. He concluded his video by saying that the game is slightly tilted towards Kolkata Knight Riders.