PBKS vs MI: Will Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan play today against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 Match 33?

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PBKS vs MI: Will Shikhar Dhawan play today against Mumbai Indians at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur? The answer is 'no'. The Punjab Kings captain is very likely to miss the match against Mumbai on Thursday, April 18, and the following match at the same venue against Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 21.

Shikhar Dhawan injured his right shoulder in Punjab's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday, April 9. However, he came out to bat and got out after scoring 14 off 16 balls. Overall, he has scored 152 runs in five matches at an average of 30.40 and a strike rate of 125.61.

"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," PBKS spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi informed reporters ahead of the match.

"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," he added.

Sam Curran walked out for the toss in Punjab Kings' last match against Rajasthan Royals. The same created confusion as many had the notion that Jitesh Sharma was the designated vice-captain of Punjab Kings. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter had also filled in for an unwell Shikhar Dhawan and attended the captains' photoshoot ahead of the IPL 2024 opener in Ahmedabad.

However, Punjab head coach Sanjay Bangar cleared the air after the match against Rajasthan and explained why Jitesh was sent for the captains' photoshoot.

"Jitesh wasn't the designated vice-captain. The impression could have been because he attended the captain's seminar or meeting at the start of the tournament. But the thought was always that since Sam had led the team last year as well, he was late to arrive from the UK and wanted to have a few sessions, which is why we couldn't send him to Chennai for the inauguration of the season," Sanjay Bangar said.

Captain Sam Curran failed to deliver with the bat against Rajasthan Royals but was impressive with the ball, picking two wickets for 25 runs in four overs. He picked the wickets of Rovman Powell and Keshav Maharaj to take the match down to the wire. Rajasthan managed to win the match by completing the 148-run chase with three wickets and a ball to spare.

Punjab Kings are currently reeling at the eighth spot in the ten-team IPL 2024 table. They have lost four of their six matches and are under a lot of pressure.