Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan confessed that he felt nervous before making his return to IPL 2024 for Punjab Kings' (PBKS) opening match against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the newly-built stadium in Mullanpur on Saturday (March 23).
However, the southpaw held his nerves to play a decent knock of 22 in 16 balls. He also marshalled his troops well as PBKS opened their campaign with a four-wicket victory.
Dhawan returned to competitive cricket for the first time since last year's IPL. He did not play domestic tournaments in the meantime and has not played for India since December 2022. But the left-hander did not look rusty out there in the middle, hitting four boundaries to help Punjab Kings off to a strong start in the successful chase of 175.
"Feels great, happy to be on the ground. I've been preparing for this tournament, this is the first time I'm playing at this high a level since the last IPL. I was a bit nervous as well but yeah, came through," Dhawan said at the post-match presentation.
Punjab Kings rode on Sam Curran's 47-ball 63 and Liam Livingstone's unbeaten 38 off 21 balls to overhaul the target with four deliveries to spare.
While praising Curran and Livingstone, Dhawan came up with a cheeky assessment of his decision to win the toss and opt to bowl.
"I didn't know the records here, it's a new ground. So didn't focus on it too much, we practised during day and at night. So, I thought we would let the other team use their brains first and then we'll assess it. It worked for us, so we're happy and content," Dhawan said.
The PBKS captain further said he did not have a word with Harshal Patel, playing down the 25-run final over that allowed Delhi Capitals to post 174/9 on the board.
"No chat in the innings break after the 25-run over because I was preparing to bat. Also, bowlers will be going through their own emotions. So I would rather give them space and chat after things calm down. I felt we leaked a few extra runs, of course extra nerves are there in the first match. It's normal," he remarked.
Punjab Kings will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday (March 25).
