Dhawan hits a full ball outside off hard back to Ashwin, who was at the non-striker’s end, but unfortunately Rajapaksa couldn’t avoid the shot and got hit on his right forearm. The ball was hit with great force, leaving Rajapaksa with little time to react.
The physio is attending to him, but he is being forced to leave the field due to the injury caused by Dhawan’s powerful shot. This is not good news for Punjab Kings.
In the Indian Premier League clash in Guwahati on Wednesday, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to field first. Punjab Kings got off to a fiery start with Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh putting together a rapid-fire partnership of 63 runs in the powerplay overs.
Prabhsimran continued his explosive form to score a scintillating 64(34) before Jos Buttler pulled off a stunning catch to claim the first wicket for Rajasthan. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who came in to bat after Prabhsimran’s dismissal, was forced to retire hurt after being hit by a delivery from Dhawan. Both teams have retained the same playing XI from their previous encounter.
Following Prabhsimran’s impressive performance, it was Shikhar Dhawan’s turn to shine as he smashed Yuzvendra Chahal for two consecutive fours to notch up his half-century. Dhawan completed this milestone in just 36 balls.
In the same over, Chahal had a difficult opportunity to dismiss Dhawan as the ball took a leading edge and went towards mid-on where there were no fielders placed. Chahal made a valiant effort, chasing after the ball and diving, but unfortunately, the ball bounced just in front of him.