Kolkata: Shikhar Dhawan will once again be on the sidelines against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday at the Eden Gardens, informed bowling coach Sunil Joshi. Dhawan, who is nursing a shoulder injury, m

Kolkata: Shikhar Dhawan will once again be on the sidelines against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday at the Eden Gardens, informed bowling coach Sunil Joshi. Dhawan, who is nursing a shoulder injury, missed three matches on the trot with Sam Curran doing the captaincy duties. His last game for Punjab Kings came on April 9. The good news is Punjab Kings are expecting Dhawan to return against Chennai Super Kings on May 1.

Joshi, a former India spinner, said Dhawan is on a recovery course and the left-hander could possibly make a return in their next game in Chennai. “He was in form and we really missed his batting services. We saw him batting yesterday, going through the nets and everything,” Joshi said on the eve of their match against KKR.

“He is on the road to recovery. Hopefully, he should be fit for the next game (against CSK),” he said. The Punjab franchise have failed to fire as a batting unit and are on ninth in the points table with just two wins from eight games. On the other hand, KKR are placed second with five wins from seven games.
Despite the tough contest, Joshi insisted that Punjab Kings are ready for the challenge. “We are not concerned about KKR spin bowling. Every cricketer who comes to IPL, which is one of the best leagues in the world, puts up a challenge. You have to accept the challenge.

“Whether you perform or do not perform, you have to be ready. Every day is a different day with different challenges. Your body feels differently. We feel we are ready for tomorrow,” he added. Joshi said that the team is confident of making a strong comeback and is focusing on areas where they can improve further. “It’s important to understand that any team will go through wins and losses.

“Our focus is to rise again. This is a short format of the game, where you might get hit for a six on the best ball or you get a wicket on a loose ball,” he said. “It depends on how you prepare your body for the day of the game and how mentally relaxed you are. Every time you face the stress of performing, your body may not fire. You have to be calm down and play one ball at a time,” Joshi added.