"Punjab Have Become...": Warns Aakash Chopra Ahead of IPL Clash Against Gujarat Titans
Dhawan scored 99 against SRH [iplt20.com]
Heading into the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 clash against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Mohali on Thursday, April 13, former Indian cricketer, Aakash Chopra, has identified Punjab Kings' (PBKS) excessive dependence on skipper Shikhar Dhawan in the batting department as their major stumbling block.
In their previous game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite Dhawan's unbeaten 99-run knock, they suffered a crushing defeat. Punjab Kings, who began their campaign with back-to-back victories, are aiming to regain their winning form by beating the defending champions.
During a preview of the game, Chopra, highlighted the issue of Punjab Kings' over-dependence on their captain. He suggested that the law of averages could catch up with the dynamic opener and that the other batters in the team need to contribute significantly towards the scoreline.
"Punjab have become slightly overdependent on Shikhar Dhawan," said Chopra.
The former opener analyzed the PBKS captain’s record against Gujarat Titans' bowlers and emphasized that he has a good track record against most of them, except for Rashid Khan. He also noted that Mohammad Shami has never dismissed Dhawan, and that the southpaw has even scored more than 100 runs against him.
"He gets out to Rashid Khan but has never gotten out to Mohammad Shami to date - he has scored more than 100 runs against him. His match-up against the rest of them is also very good," added the renowned commentator.
Chopra pointed out that Punjab Kings' batting line-up needs to raise their game, as none of the other batters, except for Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Prabhsimran Singh, who have each hit a half-century, have aggregated more than 100 runs so far in IPL 2023.
"The rest of the batters will have to score runs. They have not scored runs that strongly, to be very honest,” concluded Chopra.
The 45year-old also drew attention to the fact that in the previous game, while Dhawan scored an unbeaten 99, the rest of the team together managed only 44 runs.
Overall, Punjab Kings will be looking to break their overreliance on Dhawan and ensure that the rest of the team can contribute towards the scoreline. encounter between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.
 "Jatin")
