Punjab Kings (PBKS) players have been spotted wearing black armbands during the IPL 2024 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the IPL 2024 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) in Dharamsala on Thursday, May 9.
Punjab Kings skipper Sam Curran won the toss and opted to field first against Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, PBKS decision got backfired as RCB posted a solid total of 241/7 in 20 overs. Star batter Virat Kohli played an incredible innings of 92 off 47 balls while Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green scored 55 and 45, respectively.
For Punjab Kings, Harshal Patel (3/38) picked three wickets while debutant Vidhwath Kaverappa (2/36) took two scalps.
Meanwhile, the netizens noticed that Punjab Kings' players have been wearing the black armbands and everybody was clueless as the franchise didn't put an official statement behind the gesture. As per the user on Reddit, the PBKS' players wore black armbands as a mark of respect to their teammate Chris Woakes' father Roger, who recently passed away.
Roger Woakes played cricket for Warwickshire's second team, but never made it to the first team and earn a shot at making it to the England Test team.
Chris Woakes was acquired by PBKS for a INR 4.2 crore at the IPL 2024 Auction. However, the English all-rounder hasn't featured in any game for the team in the ongoing IPL season.
Punjab Kings fight for a playoff spot in IPL 2024
The clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru is a do-or-die contest for Punjab Kings as the defeat would get them knocked out of the tournament. The PBKS need to win against RCB in order to keep their hopes alive for the playoffs qualification.
Punjab Kings have had a mediocre season as they won only four games in their 11 outings and are currently at the eighth spot with 8 points. PBKS have been without the services of their regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who have been on the sidelines for the last seven matches due to shoulder injury.
Punjab Kings have never made it to the playoffs since IPL 2015. In the last season, Shikhar Dhawan-led side finished at the sixth spot in the league stage and failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the tournament.
