“Khalifa Of IPL…”: Ex-India Batter Praises PBKS Skipper Shikhar Dhawan For His Captaincy | Cricket News

Punjab Kings suffered a big defeat against SunRisers Hyderabad in their previous IPL 2023 match. Asked to bat first, PBKS batters failed to perform as they were reduced to 88/9 in 15 overs. The only saving grace for the team was their skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who stood like a one-man army right from the beginning and took their total to 143/9 in 20 overs and remained unbeaten at 99 off 66 balls. Later, SRH comfortably chased down the target in just 17.1 overs. Apart from this, Dhawan has already scored 225 runs in three matches and is currently the orange cap holder for this season.

As PBKS are gearing up for their upcoming match against Gujarat Titans, former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif praised Dhawan and called him “Khalifa of IPL”, who is leading the team by example.

“Punjab Kings’ bowling is good. The team that has a good bowling unit has a better chance of finishing in the top four in the IPL. Shikhar Dhawan is the Khalifa of IPL. He is in form and leading his team by example. These conditions have further boosted the chances of his team going a long way this season,” Kaif said on Star Sports.

PBKS are all set to host defending champions Gujarat Titans at their home ground in Mohali on Thursday.

The Shikhar Dhawan-led side missing the services of their star England batter Liam Livingstone, who was awaiting his board’s clearance regarding his injury. As he has now joined the team’s practice session after getting the clearance, he is expected to play his first game of the season against GT.

The Hardik Pandya-led side will be coming to this clash after facing a defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders, where Rinku Singh made headlines with his last over heroics.

GT, currently fourth on the table with four points from three games, still have a great chance to top the chart, but for that they will have to collectively come together against PBKS, who are fast emerging as one of the most difficult sides to surmount.

(With PTI Inputs)