Shikhar Dhawan has been in a scintillating form in the 2023 edition of IPL. Since his place in the Indian squad is not permanent, Dhawan has been playing this season with a point to prove. On Wednesday, he smashed a match-winning 86 off 56 balls during his side's five-run victory over Rajasthan Royals.
Just ahead of the clash between PBKS and RR, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan talked about Dhawan’s form.
"Shikhar Dhawan is a senior player in IPL and has been very consistent with the bat too. He's a very powerful player who possesses a very strong mind. He has to prove himself as a captain this year and for that his batting is essential. Being in and out of the Indian team must have bothered him and that's why he would like to prove that he is still the real Gabbar of Indian cricket," Irfan said on Star Sports.
Coming to the PBKS-RR clash, skipper Shikhar Dhawan starred with the bat with his 86-run knock and a crucial 90-run opening stand with his colleague Prabhsimran Singh, who also scored a quick fire 60. As a result, Punjab Kings posted 197-4 after being asked to bat first at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
In reply, Royal’s batters were clueless in front of Ellis who scalped four wickets and gave away just 30 runs in his four overs off quota. Despite a late fight put up by Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel, Rajasthan were restricted to 192-7.
It was Punjab Kings’s Sam Curran who came out as a hero in the last over as he defended 16 runs and helped his team win the game by five runs.