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Punjab Kings fast bowling coach Charl Langeveldt confirmed that Sikandar Raza has left the PBKS squad to join the Zimbabwe team for their upcoming five-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which will kick off on May 2.
Raza played two matches for PBKS this season, amassed 43 runs, and went wicketless in the ongoing Indian Premier League season. He will miss the rest of the season for PBKS as he will be involved with the Zimbabwe team and will lead them in their upcoming series. The five-match series will be crucial in their preparation for the T20 World Cup, which will begin on June 1 in the USA and the West Indies. Sam Curran has been the stand-in captain for Punjab over the last four games due to skipper Shikhar Dhawan's injury. Langeveldt also gave an update on skipper Dhawan and Zimbabwe star Sikandar Raza. "Sikandar Raza has gone to represent his country. We will have an update on Dhawan by tomorrow," Langeveldt said in the pre-match conference. After a statement-making win over the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Punjab Kings will gear up for their next IPL against the Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Ahead of the highly anticipated encounter, he said that his side will take confidence from their world record win in the last game. The Kings chased down a total of 262 at the Eden Gardens with eight wickets in hand to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens last week, with a blistering ton from the opener, Jonny Bairstow, and a power-packed performance from Shashank Singh. "In sports, you always take confidence from the last game. And our last game was a good one for us. But Chennai is always a tricky wicket to play, so we will be prepared for that," Langeveldt said. Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings have faced each other 28 times in IPL history so far, out of which the former have won 15 games while the latter have won 13 matches. Over the past few years, the Punjab Kings have maintained a good record against Chennai and will hope to replicate the same on Wednesday. "It's always a tricky wicket. It looks like we will be playing on a fresher wicket with extra bounce for the bowlers, seamers especially. Over the last 3-4 years, we have done well against them. But it's always hard when you are playing against the Chennai Super Kings at their home. They bowl really well here," the former Proteas speedster said. "We don't think about statistics or records. We treat every game as a new one for us. But it does build confidence that we have a good record against the Chennai Super Kings," he added. Chennai have a formidable batting line-up, including the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Rachin Ravindra, who have been in good form. On being asked about the Punjab Kings' plans against the opposition, Langeveldt kept the cards close to his chest. "I will not reveal much. But we have plans for each individual. Everyone has strengths, and everyone has weaknesses. We have had meetings to discuss the same for each batter individually," he signed off. PBKS are in the 8th spot with six points in nine matches, while CSK are in the third spot with 10 points in nine matches. Both teams will be looking for a win to bolster their chances of featuring in the playoffs. (ANI)
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