Punjab Kings overly dependent on Shikhar Dhawan, feels Harbhajan Singh

Punjab Kings have been overly dependent on skipper Shikhar Dhawan for runs so far in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) and other players will have to step up if they want to challenge for the title, feels former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

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Dhawan has been the leading run-scorer for the side by a fair distance so far this season; while the skipper has collected 233 runs at an average of 116.5, the next highest run-scorer for the side is Prabhsimran Singh with 81 runs.

“The Punjab side seems is largely dependent on their captain Shikhar Dhawan in the batting department which is a concern,” Harbhajan told Star Sports Cricket Live.

“While depending on one player, you can win two or three matches but you cannot win a tournament like IPL. The rest of Punjab players will have to support their captain and take responsibility if they wish to go forward.”

Harbhajan also heaped praise on Kolkata Knight Riders batter Venkatesh Iyer, who slammed the first IPL century for his franchise in 15 years, after Brendon McCullum.

“Venkatesh Iyer is a special player and proved that with his maiden TATA IPL century. Batters like David Warner and KL Rahul should learn a couple of things from his innings,” he said.

“Iyer didn’t just strengthen his team after the fall of an early wicket but also scored runs with a strike rate of more than 200.”

PBKS will face Royal Challengers Bangalore, while KKR takes on Delhi Capitals on Thursday.

With inputs from PTI

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