Punjab skipper Shikhar Dhawan didn’t have the ideal start as captain at the toss ahead of the ongoing game against Kolkata. He lost the coin toss and was asked about the four foreign players in the team, a new tradition in the league. Apparently, with the impact player rule, the teams have the luxury of putting together a playing XI after the toss.
Meanwhile, after Nitish Rana, the Kolkata skipper announced his four foreigners, it was time for Dhawan to do the same. The latter remember the first three names but forgot the fourth one. The 2013 Champions Trophy winner announced Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sam Curran, and Nathan Ellis but failed to remember the fourth overseas player in the team.
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In the end, both teams announced their playing XIs with Punjab having clarity afterward. Punjab XI: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Sikandar Raza, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Nathan Ellis, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep Singh. The subs are Rishi Dhawan, Taide, Short, Bhatia, and Rathee.
Shikhar Dhawan played a decent hand while others continue to punish Kolkata bowlers
After losing the toss, the 2014 finalists, Punjab were asked to bat first. While Dhawan was happy to play the second fiddle, the others went about their business in a more T20 manner. The likes of Prabhsimran Singh (23), Jitesh Sharma (21), and Sikandar Raza (16) didn’t die wondering.
On the other hand, Rajapaksa scored his first fifty in the shortest format after Men’s Asia Cup final last year. Talking about Dhawan, he amassed 40 runs before getting out in the 15th over. At the time of writing, the home team has amassed 191/5 at the end of the first innings. Sam Curran (26*) and Shahrukh Khan (11*) provided the finishing touches after Raza’s wicket.
