Punjab Kings are currently facing Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur. In this match, there could be a competition between two of the most legendary opening batsmen in the history of Indian cricket in the form of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Unfortunately, Shikhar Dhawan could not be a part of the match due to injury. Rohit and Shikhar have opened for Team India on many occasions and have become one of the most iconic opening pairs in world cricket. Before the match started, the two shared a fun moment on the field.
Before the match, Rohit Sharma met Shikhar Dhawan on the field. First, the two shared a heartwarming moment as the iconic pair shared a warm embrace. After this, some such conversations started taking place between the two which led to a rift between them. Rohit once again hugged Shikhar Dhawan. He then proceeded to dismiss the injured batsman. Shikhar tried to dance but could not do so and burst out laughing.
Why is Shikhar Dhawan not playing Mumbai vs?
Shikhar Dhawan did not even play in the last match of Punjab Kings against Rajasthan Royals. The experienced left-handed batsman had suffered a shoulder injury before the match against Royals and that injury has kept him out of this match against Mumbai as well.
Sanjay Bangar confirmed that Shikhar Dhawan will take some time to fully recover from his shoulder injury. In fact, he said that the PBKS captain will be out for at least 7-10 days. Given this time frame, Shikhar Dhawan may not even be fit in time for their next match against Gujarat Titans. He will probably make a comeback against Kolkata Knight Riders on 26th April.
“We will have to wait and see how he responds to the treatment. As of now, it looks like he may be out of action for at least 7-10 days,” Bangar confirmed.
Like the previous match against Rajasthan Royals, England’s star all-rounder Sam Curran is leading the team in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan. There was some confusion as fans expected Jitesh Sharma to captain the team, especially since he attended the captains’ photoshoot ahead of the start of IPL 2024.
However, PBKS head coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed that Jitesh is not the vice-captain of the team. He participated in the photoshoot as Curran had not arrived from England at the time of shooting.