The Punjab Kings captain, Shikhar Dhawan, who has been sidelined from IPL 2024 due to an injured shoulder, is expected to make his return to the tournament against Chennai Super Kings on May 1. Sunil Joshi, the PBKS bowling coach, revealed that Shikhar Dhawan’s recovery is currently on track, but he will miss the upcoming match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Notably, Shikhar Dhawan last played for Punjab Kings against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home in the Maharaja Yadavindra International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on April 9. In the absence of the Indian left-handed batter, Sam Curran, the English international, took over the captaincy reigns, but PBKS have lost three in a row under him.
Sunil Joshi addressed the press ahead of the away match for Punjab Kings against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and spoke about the progress of Shikhar Dhawan from shoulder injury. He was quoted as saying, as per InsideSport, “He (Shikhar Dhawan) was in form and we really missed his batting services. We saw him batting yesterday, going through the nets and everything. He is on the road to recovery. Hopefully, he should be fit for the next game.”
Moreover, the overall campaign for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 has been far from good after the first eight matches. They have lost six and won only two matches in the tournament, which includes four straight losses at home, putting their hopes of finishing in the top four in real jeopardy.