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.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) performed below average in most IPL seasons. Despite being a formidable team, PBKS have often fallen short due to inconsistency, preventing them from winning their first IPL title. During the tournament’s auction season, the management made several fascinating and tactical acquisitions to improve their bowling and middle-order batting attack. With a new home stadium and a steady aim, Punjab Kings hope to reverse the tables and win their first title. So, here are the top four players on the PBKS roster to watch. 

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan will aim to change the team’s fortunes in the competition with his leadership and hitting. With his extensive experience, explosive batting prowess, and leadership abilities, Dhawan can lead the Punjab Kings to their first IPL victory. His ability to score regularly at the top of the order and his intelligent leadership can give much-needed stability and direction for Punjab’s season.

Also, his ability to handle pressure and provide consistent results makes him an invaluable asset to the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024. In his successful 217-match IPL career, he has scored 6616 runs, including 50 half-centuries and two centuries. 

Jitesh Sharma

Jitesh Sharma, the explosive wicketkeeper-batsman, adds firepower and aggression to Punjab’s middle order by scoring early runs and changing the game’s tempo. Recently, he has been appointed as the vice-captain of the arsenal.

Sharma’s ability to accelerate the run rate in the middle overs and fuel the innings makes him an essential asset in the team’s quest for success in IPL 2024, where his explosive batting might turn matches in Punjab Kings’ favour. In his IPL stint, he has made 543 runs in 26 games, with an impressive strike rate of over 160. 

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Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel was the most expensive Indian buy in the IPL 2024 auction. The Punjab paid a high price for his services, indicating the franchise’s confidence in his ability and prospective impact on the club. 

Harshal’s ability to confuse hitters with slower deliveries and pace changes makes him an effective T20 bowler. His slower balls, frequently disguised as conventional deliveries, can catch batters by surprise, leading to wickets or limiting scoring. In his IPL stint, he has scalped a commendable 111 wickets in 92 outings, with an economy of 8.59.

Rilee Rossouw

Rilee Rossouw is a South African left-handed batter renowned for his aggressive approach and ability to score rapidly. Rossouw’s extensive expertise in T20 cricket adds firepower to the team’s top order. His aggressive attitude and ability to dominate bowlers make him a great addition to the batting order.

Rossouw, a free-striking left-handed batsman with subcontinental-style wrists, has the potential to make a significant contribution to PBKS’ middle-order batting. In his brief IPL career, he scored 262 runs in 14 games with a strike rate above 140.

Former India player Parthiv Patel feels Jitesh Sharma is on the verge of sealing his place in India’s squad for the upcoming marquee event – T20 World Cup 2024. However, Jitesh Sharma is one of the two wicketkeeper-batters, with Sanju Samson being the other, in India’s 16-member squad for the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan as well. However, he was preferred over Sanju Samson for the first two games.

During a discussion on JioCinema, Patel added: “Yes, they are definitely doing that and the reason for that is the number of openers or top-order batters we have in the Indian team. There is a sort of traffic jam at the top because you have Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is injured, and Shubman Gill, who opened in the first match.”

The former India wicketkeeper-batter added: “So India’s option is probably to have a wicketkeeper who can bat down the order. If you have to bat down the order, you need a destructive batter. The way Jitesh Sharma is playing, he is a very good option and I feel his ticket to the World Cup has started getting printed slightly.”

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Meanwhile, Parthiv Patel also added that Jitesh Sharma is the only middle-order wicketkeeper-batter option available for the Indian team as well. He again shared that the other contenders – Sanju Samson, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan – bat in the top order only. Parthiv Patel also lauded Jitesh Sharma for playing as per the demands of the situation in the first T20I against Afghanistan as well.

“The sample size is very small, but when he came to bat in the first T20I, he came before the 10th over. I feel he understood the situation very well and played according to that,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “He didn’t have to bat the way he usually does. He had to settle a little, keep the strike rate slightly low, and then play his shots. It means he showed another dimension as well, that he can also build an innings.”

In the earlier encounter, Matthew Wade won the toss and opted to field first. The Indian opening partnership reached a commendable 50 runs, with Yashasvi Jaiswal dominating the Australian bowlers. However, he departed after scoring 37 off 28 deliveries. Tanveer Sangha claimed the wicket of the other opener, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who managed a scrappy 32 off 28 balls. Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer failed to make an impact, giving Rinku Singh another opportunity to showcase his batting prowess.

Rinku played fluently, smashing the bowlers with ease. He raced to 46 off just 29 balls before falling victim to a brilliant delivery from Jason Behrendorff. Jitesh Sharma also exhibited intent, scoring a quick 35 off 19 balls before being dismissed by Ben Dwarshuis. India concluded their innings at 174-9.

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In response, Australia had a brisk start, thanks to a flourishing innings from Travis Head, who played shots at will and reached 31 off only 16 deliveries before falling to Axar Patel. Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Josh Philippe, putting India in a commanding position. Axar Patel continued his dominance, dismissing Aaron Hardie, and Australia found themselves in deep trouble.

Ben McDermott was also bowled, and his hard-fought 19 off 22 went in vain. In the end, Matthew Wade’s fine innings of 36 off 23 balls helped Australia cross the 150-run mark, but they ultimately lost the game by 20 runs. With this victory, India secured the T20I series with a 3-1 lead and one game to spare.

Sanju Samson copped a blow to his knee while fielding during the first T20I and was subsequently taken for scans. He was advised rest and rehabilitation by a specialist. Has hence been ruled out of the next two matches of the T20I series.

The All-India Senior Selection Committee on Wednesday named Jitesh Sharma as replacement for injured Sanju Samson. For the remainder of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Samson hurt his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during Tuesday’s first T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. “He was taken for scans and a specialist opinion this afternoon in Mumbai by the BCCI Medical Team and has been advised rest and rehabilitation,” BCCI said in the statement.

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India name uncapped player as a replacement for injured Sanju Samson

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Jitesh Sharma as a replacement for Sanju Samson,” it further read. India will play the second T20I against Sri Lanka in Pune on January 5. India has a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Coming to the first game, debutant Shivam Mavi’s four-wicket haul and Axar Patel’s action-packed last over guided India to a 2-run win over Sri Lanka in the first T20I of the three-match series here at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.

Mavi was the star for India on his international debut, taking 4/22. Umran Malik (2/27) and Harshal Patel (2/41) also delivered timely breakthroughs to India. Samson was fielding near the ropes when he tried to dive and stop a boundary but had his left knee stuck in the soil. The wicketkeeper batter reportedly did not travel with the squad to Pune and remained in Mumbai for the scans.

IPL 2022 has reached its middle stages and there are some strong talents on show. 30 odd games in, the young talent on display seems to be carrying the IPL with many of the experienced hands having a tough time out in the middle.

Dewald Brevis

Dewald Brevis came into the tournament with the tag of Baby AB around him. He showed his range in the under-19 World Cup with some wonderful unorthodox shots and is starting nicely at the Mumbai Indians. Getting his chance after a few games on the bench, Dewald Brevis found his rhythm quickly. In five games, he got a start on four and has shown that he can carry his run of form from the Under-19 World Cup to the IPL.

He is using the dimensions of the ground well as expected, and surely has the potential to live up to his title as Baby AB. Additionally, Dewald Brevis has another interesting moment in IPL 2022. He dismissed Virat Kohli on the first ball he bowled to the great and such a moment is surely enough to make a statement in the league.

Tilak Varma

The Mumbai Indians are known to be good at scouting and that is a reason as to why they have two debutants who are making an impression on the tournament. Although the side is still winless, they have positives in the performance of both Tilak Varma and Dewald Brevis.

The 19-year-old batter has displayed immense consistency and responsibility and is turning out to be Mumbai’s best batter in IPL 2022. He already has a couple of fifties and has taken on some of the best bowlers in the league. His performance against Rajasthan is one such game which saw him pick the bowling nicely as he took on the likes of Trent Boult and Ravi Ashwin. Against Chennai Super Kings, Tilak Varma played a responsible hand as he came in with the side three down for very little.

Taking his time, Tilak Varma did well to bat through the innings and also provided some lusty blows to get MI to a reasonable score.

Ayush Badoni

Like Dewald Brevis, Ayush Badoni got off to a bright start in IPL 2022 with some unorthodox shots as a finsher. He started with a fifty when a run-chase was in a tense position. The fifty was full of unorthodox hits and he remained calm throughout. He went on to provide a couple more death-over finishes, and is finding the ropes with ease.

Ayush Badoni hasn’t scored as much in the last few games of IPL 2022 but that is more down to less batting time. He started the season as an exciting talent and with half the tournament to go, he is likely to continue making an impact as a finisher and definitely has a lot of promise moving forward.

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Maheesh Theeskhana

The Sri Lankan leg-spinner has come in when his side was struggling with the new-ball. Bowling in the powerplay, Theekshana instantly made impact and helped CSK solve two issues which was ruining their campaign. He helped CSK with the new ball and also played the role of an aggressive spinner, which CSK lacked despite the presence of Ali and Jadeja. Four games in, Theekshana has seven wickets and his role against RCB, taking four wickets in the game was crucial in getting CSK up and running in IPL 2022.

Jitesh Sharma

Jitesh Sharma is another player who has been on the sidelines and has had very few chances to show his skills. In the games where he did get a chance to play with some substance, he has been pretty handy. He is getting into the 20s and 30s on a regular basis and with the middle-order struggling, Jitesh Sharma is helping the Punjab Kings heavily with his runs in that stage.  He has also handled pressure fairly well, playing out Jasprit Bumrah and finding runs the next as Punjab were in a tough situation while setting a total against the Mumbai Indians.

There have been a few other talents popping up with Vaibhav Arora, Abhinav Manohar and Mukesh Choudhary among the debutants going well in IPL 2022. With half the season left and teams likely to use their bench more, the upcoming games may see more youngsters come out and show their skills as IPL 2022 rolls on.