Mayank Agarwal scored an unbeaten 99 to take Punjab Kings to 166/6 after Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl first. He replaced KL Rahul as the skipper of the side and hit eight fours and four sixes in his knock. None of the other Punjab Kings batters apart from Dawid Malan came up with a sizeable contribution. Malan scored 26 and it was Agarwal’s late blitz took Punjab to a sizeable total.
Mayank Agarwal’s knock was hugely praised on Twitter after he replaced KL Rahul also as the skipper of the side. They praised his counter-attacking knock as it kept his side in scoring a good total for his side. Meanwhile, Kagis Ranada bowled a spell of 3/36 against the Punjab Kings. Avesh Khan bowled a spell of 1 for 39 while Axar patel was economical as ever bowling a spell of 1 for 21.
Earlier in the day, KL Rahul was diagnosed with acute appendicitis which might seen his seasons all but over. This adds more responsibility now for Mayank as a top-order batter and as the skipper of the side.
Delhi Capitals are placed third on the points table while Punjab Kings are placed sixth. Rahul is still leading the Orange Cap race with 331 runs in seven games at an average of 66.20 and a strike rate of 136.21.
“It’s sad and we are gonna miss him (KL) but it is what it is. We have to go out and play good cricket. We won the last game we played, so we are high on confidence. I can hope that it gets a little lower and slower as the game progresses. But it’s good to set target and then defend it. (On captaining) Really looking forward to the responsibility, we have spoken about going out there, enjoying ourselves, playing some fierce and aggressive cricket with smile on our faces” said new Punajb skipper Mayank Agarwal on KL Rahul’s absence.
Twitter Salutes Mayank Agarwal’s 99* Against Delhi Capitals
This was a captain's innings, if there was one. The acceleration at the end was awesome. Last 70 from 33 balls but as always, good looking shots from @mayankcricket. A 99, in the context of a match, is as valuable as a century.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 2, 2021
Last year Mayank Agarwal was on 38 off 39 after 16 overs vs DC. Finished on 89 off 60 as the match was tied.
Earlier this season, made 69 off 36 including 30 off 13 in PP against DC.
Another big one this. From 37 off 32 to 99* off 58#PBKSvDC
— Rohit Sankar (@imRohit_SN) May 2, 2021
A Slefless inning of Mayank Agarwal, One Of The Best Opener in IPL right now!
WHAT A KNOCK 99 !! #Ipl2021 pic.twitter.com/rbSmuIuRGo
— kohlysm (@TheJinxyyyy) May 2, 2021
One of the best growth stories in the last few IPL seasons has been how Mayank Agarwal has transformed himself into an impact T20 batsmen.
It's fascinating how he switches roles so easily. Bats with elite intent mostly and then also bats with utmost responsibility when needed. pic.twitter.com/Sg0dDoBm2Z
— Ricky talks Cricket (@CricRicky) May 2, 2021
Great Knock by Mayank Agarwal 👏
Deserve hundred but well played 👏👏#mayank #DCvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/5kvfUzWlDq— Satish Ghavane (@ghavane_satish) May 2, 2021
Excellent batting from Mayank Agarwal!
He finishes with 99, struggled at the start a touch but found the boundaries regularly later.
May be enough if no dew and Punjab bowl well, with Meredith striking at the top
— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) May 2, 2021
No KL Rahul#PBKS 17 for 1, 35 for 2 then lost wickets regularly but Mayank Agarwal stayed at one end and scored unbeaten 99 runs – helped Punjab Kings to post 166 for 6 from 20 overs. #IPL2021
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 2, 2021
What a Knock Mayank, 99(57)*
Scored More than 60% of Team RunsToday :-
Mayank Agarwal – 99(57)
Rest of the Team – 62(63)
Tells you the story how good innings this was, What a Player Mayank Agarwal😍💉 pic.twitter.com/8kquOdANjB— Pranjal (@pranjal__one8) May 2, 2021
Mayank Agarwal scores a brilliant 99 unbeaten on captaincy debut to take Punjab Kings to 166. An excellent innings by the captain, he played brilliantly. A good score considering they were going at run a ball at half way mark. Axar Patel yet again deliveries an economical spell.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 2, 2021
