Punjab Kings coach Sanjay Bangar has confirmed that Shikhar Dhawan has a shoulder injury and may be out of action for a week or more. If he is out for a week, the designated team captain could miss two IPL 2024 matches, both at home in Mullanpur: against Mumbai Indians on April 18 and against Gujarat Titans on April 21.
During a press conference following Kings' last-over defeat in a low-scoring game against Rajasthan Royals in Mullanpur, Bangar stated that Dhawan could be out for at least a couple of days, and possibly up to seven to ten days:
"He's having a shoulder injury, so he is likely to be out for at least a couple of days, I would say. Having an experienced opener, somebody like Shikhar, who has experience of playing on such wickets, becomes extremely crucial [for the team].”
In the absence of Dhawan, Sam Curran walked out for the toss for Kings, causing some confusion as Jitesh Sharma had attended the captains' conference in Chennai before the start of the season.
Dhawan has not performed exceptionally well with the bat in IPL 2024, but he is currently the highest run-scorer for Kings with 152 runs from five innings, averaging 30.40 and scoring at a strike rate of 125.61. Kings' difficulties with the bat at the top of the innings have significantly contributed to their lack of victories. They have lost four out of six games and are currently in eighth place on the table.
Jonny Bairstow, Dhawan's opening partner, has struggled as well, scoring only 96 runs in six innings. Similarly, Prabhsimran Singh (119 runs in six innings) and Jitesh (106 runs in six innings) have also struggled for consistency and impact.
On Saturday, with Dhawan absent, Kings tried Atharva Taide at the top, who scored 15 runs in 12 balls. Kings put up 38 for 1 in the powerplay and finished with a total of 147 for 8.