Picture Credit: Hotstar/BCCI/IPL
Punjab Kings produced a remarkable comeback against Delhi Capitals in the first innings of match no. 29 to post a competitive total of 166/6 in 20 overs. The star of the show was stand-in skipper Mayank Agarwal who stepped up for his side and actually led from the front in absence of KL Rahul, who was unfortunately ruled of this contest due to health issues.
Read More: KL Rahul admitted to hospital after severe abdomen pain; set to undergo surgery
Mayank - The Warrior
The 30-year-old played one of the best knocks of the ongoing season on Sunday as he single-handedly kept his side in the contest. With the wickets continuously going down at the other end, Mayank played the most KL Rahul-esque type of innings. The right-handed batsman hit an unbeaten 99 off 58 balls, smashing eight boundaries and four sixes during the knock.
However, the innings became more special due to the fact that Mayank was playing the game with his injury. The PBKS opener had got hit on his right hand on the bowling off Andre Russell few days back due to which he missed the previous contest.
But, with KL Rahul unavailable, Mayank decided to play this contest despite his injury and batted with a crepe bandage on his right hand. The 30-year-old was seen with the physio Andrew Leipus after the end of first innings where Mayank was getting the taping done on his hand and fingers.
Watch the video here:
With the kind of glorious shots Mayank played on Sunday, it was unimaginable for the fans to think that he was batting with any kind of pain. But, he did that and certainly won the hearts and respect of everyone. Notably, the right-handed batsman registered the second-best highest score (99*) by a player on captaincy debut in IPL, after Sanju Samson who scored 119 runs to start his leadership tenure for Rajasthan Royals earlier this season.