IPL 2023: Shikhar Dhawan to replace Mayank Agarwal as Punjab Kings captain
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Shikhar Dhawan
In the latest development, Shikhar Dhawan is all set to take on the captaincy duties of Punjab Kings from Mayank Agarwal ahead of IPL 2023 as the franchise looks to bring changes for next season. Dhawan is an experienced player who has also led Team India on multiple occasions.
As per reports published by ESPNCricinfo, the decision was made at a franchise board meeting on Wednesday (November 2). It also got backing from the newly appointed head coach of the franchise, Trevor Bayliss. Mayank was handed the prestigious role only ahead of last season after KL Rahul left the Punjab-based franchise to play for the newly introduced Lucknow Super Giants.
However, the change in captaincy didn’t change their fortunes as they failed to qualify for the playoffs. PBKS failed to impress throughout the tournament despite having numerous match winners in the squad. They finished in sixth position in the points table with 14 points in 14 games.
Punjab Kings picked Shikhar Dhawan for INR 8.25 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction. The buy turned out to be as good as they had expected from the veteran opener. He smashed 460 runs in 14 appearances at an average of 38.33, including three half-centuries in the process.
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What’s next for Mayank Agarwal?
Mayank Agarwal was one of the retained players by the franchise, the other being Arshdeep Singh. He settled for a salary of INR 12 crore but 18 crore was deduced from the purse. INR 14 crore for Mayank and INR 4 crore for Arshdeep, who was an uncapped player at that time.
The burden of the additional role also affected the performance of Agarwal. He managed to accumulate only 196 runs in 13 games, averaging just 16.33 at a strike-rate of 122.50. The right-handed opener could score only one fifty in the season, as against 4 in the previous season.
PBKS might want to release him for the mini auction to pick him up again, but at a relatively low cost. Or, they might even look for his replacement in the market. They have a strong batting unit as they have the services of Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Shahrukh Khan, etc.
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