KKR vs PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan Joins Virat Kohli In an Elite List of Batters in IPL

KKR vs PBKS: The race to the playoffs has already begun, and all the teams are trying hard to make it to the next round. Punjab Kings are taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 53rd game of the tournament at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and decided to bat first. Punjab didn’t have an ideal start and lost three wickets in the power play. They were 53/3 in 5.3 overs.

Dhawan added 53 runs for the fourth wicket with Jitesh Sharma (21 off 18) to bring the team back on track. But Sam Curran (4), Liam Livingstone (15), and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (0) got out cheaply. However, the Shikhar Dhawan held the inning at one end. He scored an important half-century and made 57 off 47 balls, with nine fours and one six. Nitish Rana dismissed him.

KKR vs PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan equals Virat Kohli in a huge IPL record

Rishi Dhawan looked good for his short stay of 19 off 11. At 139/7 in 17.2 overs, it looked like PBKS would end near 160 around. But Shahrukh Khan (21* off 8) and Harpreet Brar (17* off 9) played brilliant cameos to take the score to 179/7 in 20 overs. Notably, the PBKS skipper joined an elite list of batters with his half-century. It was the 50th half-century for the veteran opener in IPL history.

He has become only the third batter to do so and the second Indian after Virat Kohli. In his IPL career, Dhawan has scored 6593 runs in 213 innings at an average of 35.83 and a strike rate of 127.15, with a best of 106 not out. The southpaw has also scored two centuries and 50 half-centuries and is the second highest run-getter after Virat (7043). Dhawan missed three games in the IPL 2023, and it was his third half-century in the competition.

Speaking of the game, this match is important for both teams. Punjab is currently 7th on the list with 10 points, while KKR is 8th on the table with 8 points. If PBKS wins the game, they will move up to third place. Notably, Punjab won the previous game between the two teams earlier this season.