Punjab Kings Captain Shikhar Dhawan Out with Injury, Sam Curran Leads Team

Punjab Kings Skipper Shikhar Dhawan Misses Match Due to Injury, Sam Curran Leads Team

In a surprising turn of events, Punjab Kings' regular captain Shikhar Dhawan was absent from the toss for their match against Rajasthan Royals at Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Saturday. Star all-rounder Sam Curran stepped in to represent PBKS at the toss with RR's Sanju Samson.

After winning the toss, Curran revealed the reason behind Dhawan's absence. "Shikhar (Dhawan) picked up a niggle, that's why I'm here," said Curran.

Curran also shared that PBKS would have preferred to bowl first, but would now have to bat first. He praised the team's balance and highlighted the contributions of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma in the middle order.

For Rajasthan Royals, Jos Buttler and Ravichandran Ashwin were also absent due to injuries, as confirmed by captain Sanju Samson.

Samson explained that RR would bowl first, as the wicket appeared conducive to bowling. He emphasized the team's focus on process and building a strong unit.

Playing XIs:

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal

Punjab Kings: Jonny Bairstow, Atharva Taide, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada

Tags: #PBKSvRR, #TATAIPL, #Cricket, #InjuryUpdate, #SamCurran