Picture Credit: Punjab Kings
Ending all sorts of speculations, the Punjab Kings have announced the appointment of Mayank Agarwal as their new captain. While a few reports suggested that Shikhar Dhawan could be the new skipper, the franchise has chosen Mayank over the senior opener after retaining the Karanataka lad ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
With less than a month to go for the start of the fifteenth edition of the T20 tournament, franchises are expected to start their training camp in the week to follow. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have decided to have their training at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Surat which has recently made pitches with the same soil as in Mumbai which can help them prepare well for the competition as the entire league stage is being organised in Maharashtra.
Check out Punjab Kings' official announcement here:
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As far as the new leadership role is concerned, Mayank said that he takes a lot of pride in donning the Punjab colours and is delighted at his new role with the team.
"I have been at Punjab Kings since 2018 and I take a lot of pride in representing this fantastic unit. I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the team. I take over this responsibility with utmost sincerity, but at the same time, I believe my job would be made easier with the talent we have at the Punjab Kings squad this season," he said as per an official release.
"I thank the team management for entrusting me with this new role of leading the side. I look forward to the new season and the new challenges it brings with it," he added.
The right-handed batter has led Punjab Kings for one match in IPL 2021. This was when regular skipper KL Rahul had to undergo a surgery. In this fixture, Punjab were up against Delhi Capitals. While Agarwal's solitary game as the skipper did not end on a winning note, he himself was in fine form and finished with an unbeaten 99.
With Agarwal's appointment as the full-time skipper, only Royal Challengers Bangalore are left without an official captain among the teams in the Indian Premier League.
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