Punjab Kings (PBKS) assistant coach Brad Haddin has given a massive update on Shikhar Dhawan’s fitness ahead of the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He stated that the captain will undergo to physical training. test and will be available for the last two games.
Shikhar Dhawan has been Punjab Kings’ big loss in the ongoing IPL 2024. The captain has been out due to an injury and in his absence, the team has lost some crucial games in the tournament and is fighting hard for the league playoff spot. .
Shikhar Dhawan was last seen in action on April 9 during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, after that, he has been out of action. The leadoff hitter has been dealing with a shoulder injury and is not yet fit to play. He has missed 6 team games and has left a huge void.
Shikhar Dhawan will also miss Punjab Kings’ upcoming league match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The match between the teams will take place on Sunday (May 10) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.
Brad Haddin said that Shikhar Dhawan will be tested and they are hopeful that the batsman will play the last two games. He also spoke about how disappointing it has been for them not to utilize all of Dhawan’s services. Speaking to reporters, he explained:
“Shikhar will be tested and then hopefully we can have more positive news about him for the last two games. We will test him when we get to Delhi. Fingers crossed.
“In any team you are a part of, it is disappointing to leave your senior players for long periods. I don’t have to sit here and tell you about Shikhar’s record in the IPL. He is the most successful opener in this tournament.”
Our main goal has been to make sure we worked on what we needed from that game – Brad Haddin
Brad Haddin also added that they have been discussing things they should do against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. He pointed out how they fell short by the slimmest margins in the league. Speaking about the same, he added:
“The discussion for the last few days is about the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. If you look back at the last match we played, we put ourselves in a position to win the game. We had to chase about 160 runs and we couldn’t chase it.
“So yeah, our main focus has been to make sure we work on what we needed from that game and focus on that. There’s no point in worrying about the next two unless we play well in this one.” He concluded.
The match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be extremely crucial for Punjab Kings. If they lose the match they will be eliminated from the league.