In a big blow to Punjab Kings (PBKS), their captain Shikhar Dhawan is all set to miss the big IPL 2024 clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Mullanpur on April 18 due to a shoulder injury. In the pre-match press conference ahead of their home game against MI, Punjab Kings spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi addressed Shikhar Dhawan's injury. Joshi said that the medical team is working on the rehab of the star opener and will update management if there is any improvement. Joshi also backed the stand-in skipper Sam Curran to do the job for the Kings. Joshi claimed that Sam Curran did an excellent job last season despite the absence of their experienced players.

Shikhar Dhawan Ruled Out Of Big Clash Against Mumbai Indians?

Bad fortunes continue for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) right ahead of their IPL 2024 clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Thursday, April 18. PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan is currently undergoing rehab after suffering a shoulder injury during their home game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Shikhar Dhawan missed the following home game against the Rajasthan Royals, with England all-rounder Sam Curran taking the captaincy in his absence.

On the eve of the match, the news got worse for Punjab Kings fans. Shikhar Dhawan will take more time to be match-fit completely, and he'll likely miss not just the clash versus Mumbai Indians but also the upcoming match against the Gujarat Titans on April 21. In the pre-match press conference, PBKS spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi gave a massive update on captain Shikhar Dhawan's injury.

"As far as an update on Shikhar Dhawan is concerned, the medical team will assess the situation and inform us. Now, he is in rehab. Sam Curran has been donning the Captain's hat for us in his absence. He was also the stand-in captain last year when Dhawan was injured, and he led the side well. So, we trust him completely," Sunil Joshi said in the pre-match press conference.

Former India cricketer Sunil Joshi felt that batters win matches and the bowlers win tournaments and added that Punjab Kings has been doing well as a bowling unit in all phases. He felt that the batters needed to make use of the powerplay overs. Joshi also stressed upon the fact that the home team has an advantage as the wicket is challenging for the batters, especially visitors. Joshi concluded by saying that PBKS might have an advantage due to the unique bounce.

"Bowlers win tournaments, batters win matches. Our bowling unit is doing consistently well in all areas. We have addressed that our top-order needs to bat well in the powerplay overs. But this is a challenging wicket for all batters, especially for the visitors, because the nature of bounce is completely different from all other surfaces. It gives us an advantage on this surface," Joshi added.

Both Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are reeling at the bottom half of the IPL points table. They will be looking to grab the two important points. Mumbai Indians have their own set of problems with Hardik Pandya, who is struggling for form with both bat and ball. Hardik has been feeling the heat, especially with the boos going around wherever the Mumbai captain has been in action so far.