New Delhi: Jitesh Sharma will be leading Punjab Kings on Sunday in their final IPL 2024 encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday, the franchise announced a day before. Jitesh takes from Sam Curran who has already left the side to join his England teammates ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. Thus Jitesh becomes the third captain for Punjab Kings in the ongoing season. Shikhar Dhawan started as the captain of the side before Curran took over following the former’s injury.
Not just Curran, his teammates Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes and Liam Livingstone too have boarded the flight home. For the unknown, Punjab Kings have long ago been eliminated from the playoffs race. SRH have already booked their spot in the final four.
Jitesh insisted that his side will display fearless cricket on Sunday and will aim to finish off the season with a victory. “The mood is more positive in the dressing room than before because we have nothing to lose now. The season has been inconsistent for us.
“But we played really good cricket and we had many positives throughout the season. The way Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma have played was excellent, and Harpreet Brar and Prabhsimran Singh have also been in good form throughout the season. In cricket, things can change in an instant. We just missed out on some luck,” Jitesh summed up the season.
The wicketkeeper batter believed the absence of England players will not affect his side’s morale against Hyderabad. “Punjab Kings is famous for fearless cricket and we will be more fearless in the last game. Everyone will play with correct intent and we will be playing to win,” the 30-year-old added.
“We have selected a few players for different reasons and have a good bench. It’s a good opportunity for us and Punjab Kings to test our ability and our talent. There is no loss or anything bad that English players are not there,” he said.
