Jitesh Sharma will make his IPL captaincy debut tomorrow afternoon as he leads the Punjab Kings in their final league game of IPL 2024 against the SunRisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. With the Punjab Kings already eliminated from the race to the playoffs, they will play for pride in this day/night fixture against SunRisers Hyderabad.

New captaincy knock at the door of PBKS

Sam Curran, who captained Punjab in IPL 2024 after Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, has returned to the UK for England’s upcoming 1201 series against Pakistan. Dhawan has not yet fully recovered, prompting the Kings to name a new skipper for their concluding match. PBKS announced Jitesh Sharma as their new captain for the match against SRH via an official media release. Notably, Jitesh represented Punjab in the captains’ shoot before the season started, but PBKS had previously denied that he was the official captain or vice-captain.

PBKS aim to spoil Sun Risers Hyderabad’s Top-2 finish hope

Jitesh Sharma’s debut as captain presents a chance for Punjab Kings to end their season on a high note, potentially spoiling SRH’s plans. While Punjab Kings have little to gain from a win, they can disrupt the Orange Army’s chances of securing a top-2 finish. SRH, currently with 15 points, need a win against PBKS to keep their hopes alive for qualifying for Qualifier 1.

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A defeat would place SRH in the Eliminator, requiring them to win three consecutive matches to lift the trophy. It will be interesting to see which team emerges victorious tomorrow afternoon.