"Shikhar Dhawan has not been at his fluent best" - Aakash Chopra picks PBKS skipper among 3 players in focus in IPL 2024 clash vs LSG

Aakash Chopra has picked Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shikhar Dhawan as one of their players in focus in their IPL 2024 clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

The two sides will square off at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, March 30. While the visitors head into the game after a win and a loss in their first two matches, KL Rahul and company suffered a 20-run defeat against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their only fixture thus far.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted Dhawan's importance for the Punjab Kings.

"Shikhar Dhawan has not been at his fluent best. He scored runs in the last match for sure but he said that he was 10-15 runs slow, that he should have scored more, and the team also fell short because he didn't bat that fast. So the focus will once again be on whether Shikhar Dhawan provides that kind of start," he explained (5:20).

"He is the captain as well and you will find in this season that a majority of teams are going hammer and tongs from ball one because Impact Player gives you the cushion of an extra player. So you can bat wholeheartedly. So Shikhar Dhawan is very important from that viewpoint," the former India opener added.

Chopra noted that Dhawan's opening partner Jonny Bairstow is equally crucial for PBKS.

"Along with him, his partner Jonny Bairstow. He fell prey to greed in the last match, played one or two shots, and then got out. He does that generally, tries to hit a third four after hitting two. He got run out at the non-striker's end in the game before that," he observed.

Chopra claimed that PBKS don't have great finishers like Heinrich Klaasen, Andre Russell and Nicholas Pooran. He added that they have to fight from the top and that their openers need to fire for them to post a big total.

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"He has looked slightly pale but he is part of my T20 World Cup team" - Aakash Chopra on PBKS' Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh conceded 40 runs in 3.2 overs against RCB. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra chose Arshdeep Singh as the third Punjab Kings player to watch out for in Saturday's game.

"The third player I am picking is Arshdeep Singh from multiple standpoints. You want him to pick up wickets with both the new and old ball. He has looked slightly pale but he is part of my T20 World Cup team. So I really hope that he has a good match because there will be a lot of focus on him as well," he reasoned (6:30).

Arshdeep bowled a decent spell of 2/28 in four overs in PBKS' opening game against the Delhi Capitals (DC). However, he went wicketless and was taken to the cleaners, especially at the death, in their previous game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).