Mayank Agarwal, who was retained by Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL 2022 auction, is likely to take up the leadership duties for the 15th edition of the competition. Mayank has pipped Shikhar Dhawan to occupy the chair that was vacant after KL Rahul parted ways with the franchise after IPL 2021.
After the mega auction, there were a couple of names that were going around but the management is keen on having Mayank Agarwal in the hot seat. A report in PTI suggests that the franchise was keen on Mayank as captain.
An official announcement regarding the next Punjab Kings’ captain is expected to be made soon, the report adds.
“In all likelihood, Mayank will captain the side. The announcement is expected later this week. Dhawan is a welcome addition to the side and was always on the radar at the auction. He is a champion player but it seems Punjab were keen on Mayank as captain ever since K L Rahul left the team,” an IPL source told PTI.
#HappyBirthday to the Great AGAR𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟 of #PunjabKings 🧱🥳#SaddaPunjab @mayankcricket pic.twitter.com/tbmOC1eFFP
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) February 16, 2022
Meanwhile, Mayank doesn’t have much captaincy experience and has only led PBKS once – in 2021. He got to lead the team after KL Rahul was ruled out of the first phase of IPL 2021. The former captain returned for the 2nd half and led the team in the remaining matches.
Punjab Kings squad: Mayank Agarwal, Prerak Mankad, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shahrukh Khan, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Benny Howell, Baltej Singh, Ansh Patel, Liam Livingstone, Rishi Dhawan, Atharva Taide, Odean Smith, Raj Bawa, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Writtick Chatterjee, Sandeep Sharma, Nathan Elis, Vaibhav Arora, Ishan Porel, Rahul Chaha
