Shikhar Dhawan was absent at the toss during the 27th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Shikhar Dhawan was absent at the toss during the 27th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). Dhawan has a niggle and was unfit to take part in the game due to it.
What’s surprising was that Sam Curran came at the toss and will act as the captain of Punjab Kings in this game despite not being the vice-captain of PBKS. Jitesh Sharma was their designated vice-captain and came during the pre-tournament photoshoot to represent the Punjab Kings when Dhawan couldn’t make it.
Curran also captained Punjab Kings in a few games when Shikhar Dhawan had to sit out due to an injury he sustained in the middle of the tournament, which might be why Curran is a stand-in captain for this game. The English all-rounder did a decent job as a leader last season, winning two out of three matches for his team.
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Curran led the Punjab Kings to victory against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in away contests. The prior experience might have tempted PBKS to stick with Curran since Jitesh Sharma doesn’t have ample expertise leading a side at this level.
Atharva Taide is opening the innings with Jonny Bairstow and has replaced Shikhar Dhawan in the XI. Taide impressed one and all with his superior skillsets last season, scoring 186 runs at an average of 26.57 and a 144.19 strike rate in seven innings, including two fifties.
Meanwhile, Liam Livingstone is also making a comeback after missing the previous two games against Gujarat Titans (GT) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Livingstone injured himself in the away fixture against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and was sidelined.
Sikandar Raza has to sit out to accommodate Liam Livingstone in the XI. While the absence of Shikhar Dhawan is a massive blow, PBKS would be pleased to welcome Livingstone back.
Rajasthan Royals are also missing two key players – Jos Buttler and Ravichandran Ashwin – due to niggles. RR opted to field first after winning the toss, with Tanush Kotian and Rovman Powell replacing injured players in the XI.
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