Shikhar Dhawan : Punjab Kings definitely started the season with a win but after that the team lost two consecutive matches. Now some questions are being raised on the combination of the team. Because the team has a dangerous all-rounder player. But he has not yet got a chance in the last three matches.
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IPL 2024 GT vs PBKS 17th Match: The 17th match of IPL 2024 will be played between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings on Thursday. The Punjab Kings team seems to be a bit derailed. The team started the season with a win against Delhi Capitals. But after that RCB and Lucknow Super Giants defeated Shikhar Dhawan’s team. There has been no stability in the batting and bowling order of this team. Meanwhile, attention has also shifted towards the fact that Punjab has not yet given a chance to one of its dangerous players.
who is that player
In fact, that player has not yet taken the field in all three matches of Punjab. That player is none other than Zimbabwean star Sikandar Raza. Raza also took a hat-trick in T20 International recently. Apart from this, his record in this format is excellent. But till now he has had to sit on the bench. Last season also, Raza played only 7 matches and his place could not be confirmed. At the same time, he is still waiting for the first match of this season.
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When will Shikhar Dhawan give a chance
In fact, the rule of playing four foreign players has become a villain for Sikandar Raza. Punjab has star players in the form of Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Kagiso Rabada. Due to this, Raza’s place is not being made. But if we leave aside Bairstow’s innings in the last match, he did not appear to be in good form. Whereas Raza can also play as an opener. He is also a middle order batsman and can finish. Along with all these things, he is also a good spin bowler. Punjab needs to win against Gujarat at any cost. Captain Dhawan can give him a chance in this match
A look at Sikandar Raza statistics
Let us tell you that Sikandar Raza played only seven matches for Punjab Kings last season but he proved to be an important link. He also led the team to victory in one or two matches. Raza had scored 139 runs in 7 matches with one half-century and also took three wickets. 57 was his best score. But Raza’s international cricket statistics are excellent. He scored 1854 runs in 77 innings of 81 T20 Internationals for Zimbabwe. Besides, 58 wickets are also registered in his name. He also plays in other T20 leagues around the world and his overall T20 statistics are tremendous. Raza has scored 4625 runs in 225 T20 matches and has also taken 133 wickets.
