"Punjab have become slightly overdependent on Shikhar Dhawan" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings' issue ahead of IPL 2023 clash against GT

Aakash Chopra feels the Punjab Kings' (PBKS) overreliance on Shikhar Dhawan in the batting department is their main issue heading into their IPL 2023 clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Mohali on Thursday, April 13.

PBKS suffered a crushing defeat in their last game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad despite Dhawan's unbeaten 99-run knock. They started their campaign in the tournament with back-to-back victories and will hope to get back to winning ways by putting it across the defending champions.

While previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted the Punjab Kings' overdependence on their skipper, saying:

"Punjab have become slightly overdependent on Shikhar Dhawan. The law of averages was against Jos Buttler too but he scored runs. It is against Shikhar as well but he also scores runs and he scores a lot of runs against this team."

On a positive note, the former Indian opener pointed out that Shikhar Dhawan enjoys an excellent record against most Gujarat Titans bowlers, observing:

"He gets out to Rashid Khan but has never gotten out to Mohammad Shami to date - he has scored more than 100 runs against him. His match-up against the rest of them is also very good."

Chopra expects the other Punjab Kings batters to raise their game, elaborating:

"The rest of the batters will have to score runs. They have not scored runs that strongly, to be very honest. In the last match, Shikhar scored 99 and the entire team together scored 44 at the other end. So you want some contributions from there."

Dhawan has smashed 225 runs at a strike rate of 149.00 while being dismissed just once in IPL 2023 thus far. None of the other PBKS batters have aggregated more than 100 runs, although Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Prabhsimran Singh have hit a half-century apiece.

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"Liam Livingstone is probably available" - Aakash Chopra on the likely changes in the Punjab Kings' starting XI

Liam Livingstone has joined the Punjab Kings' squad ahead of Thursday's game. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra sees the Punjab Kings fielding Liam Livingstone and Rajapaksa in their starting XI if they are fit and available, stating:

"Liam Livingstone is probably available. You will see Liam playing if he is available. We don't know about Bhanuka Rajapaksa's availability. He might also be played if he is available. Matthew Short will then be made to sit out after just one match, that is possible."

The cricketer-turned-commentator reckons either Nathan Ellis or Kagiso Rabada apart from Sam Curran could be PBKS' other overseas players in such a scenario, saying:

"Other than that, you might see Sam Curran and one of Nathan Ellis and Kagiso Rabada playing. Bowling is still getting things together - whether it is Ellis, Arshdeep Singh is doing well in any case, Rahul Chahar or Sam Curran. They are managing somehow."

The Punjab Kings fielded only three overseas players in their starting XI against the SunRisers Hyderabad, with Rabada being one of the 'Impact Player' options. However, PBKS couldn't play the South African pacer as they were forced to bring in Sikandar Raza as the Impact Player due to a batting collapse.