Punjab Kings have announced Jitesh Sharma, the wicketkeeper batter as their new captain for the franchise's final league stage game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday, May 19. "Punjab Kings on Saturday announced Jitesh Sharma as the Captain for their final game of the ongoing Indian Premier League season, He will lead the Kings in their game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, set to take place at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Sunday, May 19th. Jitesh will take charge from Sam Curran, who has returned to England for international duty," a Punjab Kings statement read.
Curran, who led Punjab Kings in eight matches in the tournament, ended on a high as he not only led his side to a win against the Rajasthan Royals but also had his best game smashing an unbeaten fifty and took two wickets with the ball. It seems Shikhar Dhawan will play no further part in the tournament and with English players not available, it could be a slightly different line-up for the Kings with just two overseas players in Rilee Rossouw and Nathan Ellis.
Jitesh admitted that he hasn't had a great season with the bat but mentioned that his intent was always on point and will be looking to finish on a high. Jitesh will be Punjab Kings' 16th captain in the IPL, which is a record for the most number of skippers for a franchise. Delhi Capitals are in second place with Axar Patel recently becoming the 14th captain to lead the side.
"I am happy for this opportunity that PBKS have given me to lead in the last game. Hopefully, we will finish on a good note and I will try to start on a winning note," Jitesh said in a video posted by the Kings on social media.
Punjab Kings had yet another inconsistent season in the IPL with both batting and bowling not clicking together as well as they would have liked. The top-order struggled initially but when the top-order came back into form, the bowlers were leaking runs. When the bowlers had a great day, the batting line-up didn't perform as a whole. Punjab had a few close games, which were last-over finishes and could have gone either way but ultimately they ended up on the losing side and eventually, would want their campaign to end on a high.
