On Wednesday, it was confirmed that Shikhar Dhawan will replace Mayank Agarwal as captain of the Punjab Kings for the upcoming 2023 Indian Premier League season.
Dhawan joined the Punjab Kings in 2021 via the Mega Auction for 8.25 crores and had a respectable individual performance for the IPL 2014 runner-up squad this year. With an average of 38, he scored 460 in 14 games.
According to ESPNcricinfo, at today’s board meeting of PBKS, coach Trevor Bayliss approved the decision to make Dhawan the captain. Dhawan is a seasoned leader who has led the Indian national team and the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past.
As captain, Agarwal did not have a great campaign, and his Punjab team ultimately placed sixth. For the next season, all IPL teams must announce their retained players by the middle of November. After KL Rahul opted to join the Lucknow Super Giants in 2022, the ex-RCB player was promoted as captain for that season. Agarwal’s 196 runs at an average of 16.33 reflected the team’s erratic performance as a whole.
Despite giving over authority to Dhawan, the franchise is reportedly keen on keeping Agarwal. To win their first championship, the team’s owners had great hopes for the new coach and captain.
Dhawan is one of the most seasoned players in the Indian Premier League since he has been playing since the league’s inception in 2008. He is also the captain of India’s second squad in one-day internationals, who will be travelling to New Zealand to play a three-game series. Dhawan has led his team to victory in four of his eleven IPL matches as captain (ten with the Sunrisers in 2014 and one with the Kings last year).
Whether Agarwal will be released by the Kings is still up in the air. Before the next IPL season begins, franchises have until November 15 to submit a list of the players they want to retain. Even though the Kings agreed to pay Agarwal INR 12 crore in salary, the IPL’s retention regulations meant that an additional INR 18 crore was taken out of their budget (14 crores for Agarwal and 4 crores for Arshdeep.
Twitter Reacts:
That’s a step backwards for pbks, Dhawan is 38 and has a sr of 120😭😭🤣
— Sir_Geo (@Sir_Geo10) November 2, 2022
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He will become greatest captain in whole world
Advertisement— SuperSaiyan (@saiyajing_god) November 2, 2022
best decision…
— JK (@defectivejk) November 2, 2022
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Gabbar💥
Advertisement— Rishik (@RishikreddyV) November 2, 2022
So they're releasing mayank aggarwal??
— PIYUSH (@AllRounder___) November 2, 2022
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That don't give trophy to them
Advertisement— Gowtham C (@GowthamShettyC) November 2, 2022
Congratulations @SDhawan25 @PunjabKingsIPL ❤🙌
— Sudarshan Anerao 🇮🇳 (@ImSudarshan67) November 2, 2022
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37 yrs old captain 😂😂🤦♂️
Advertisement— Sir Shubmoun bill Popa 🇮🇳 (@69popa_) November 2, 2022
So Mayank has been sacked just like chokli has sacked
— Anupam (@Anupamkumar_45) November 2, 2022
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