3 Players Who Can Replace KL Rahul as The Punjab Kings' Captain  

There is no denying the fact that KL Rahul has been the standout batsman for Punjab Kings in the IPL in all the seasons since his debut for the franchise. He scored runs consistently and remained in the top five run-scorers for the last four consecutive seasons.

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However, despite his contributions with the bat, Punjab finished at the bottom half of the table in all last four seasons. If reports are to be believed, KL Rahul isn’t interested to continue playing for the franchise and is likely part ways with them. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if the franchisees get involved in a bidding war for the Indian opener in the auctions next year.

For Punjab, their biggest headache would be to find their next skipper and hope that he could turn their fortunes around in the tournament. In this article, we have listed three players who can replace KL Rahul as Punjab Kings’ captain.

3 Players Who Can Replace KL Rahul as The Punjab Kings’ Captain  

1. Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal is the only batsman other than KL Rahul who has consistently scored runs for Punjab Kings over the last few years. He formed great opening pair with KL Rahul for Punjab. Unfortunately, his ally might not be around from next year and he might have to open the innings with a new partner.

Mayank Agarwal led Punjab on a few occasions when KL Rahul missed out due to different reasons. With KL Rahul parting ways, Mayank Agarwal could be a great option to become the full-time captain of the franchise.

He has a good amount of experience under his belt and could prove to be a great successor to KL Rahul. Mayank Agarwal scored 441 runs for Punjab Kings in IPL 2021 at an average of 40.09 and a strike rate of 140.44.

2. David Warner

David Warner endured a lean run with the bat for SRH in IPL 2021. He couldn’t give ideal starts at the top of the order, something which he had done consistently for the franchise for a number of years. Warner’s poor numbers with the bat had a severe impact on the team’s performance in the tournament.

For the first time in the history of the tournament, SRH succumbed to the bottom of the points table, managing only 3 wins in 14 matches.

Recent reports suggest that Sunrisers Hyderabad aren’t likely to retain David Warner for the next season and the Australian cricketer is likely to find himself back at the auction pool.

Punjab Kings could be interested in buying his services for next year. He could not only open the innings for the team but also take on the leadership role. He could be an ideal replacement for KL Rahul for the Kings.

3. Shreyas Iyer

ESPN Cricinfo has confirmed that Delhi Capitals have picked Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, and Anrich Nortje as their four retentions for next year.

Delhi Capital’s former skipper Shreyas Iyer is likely to part ways with the franchise. Iyer recently also expressed his desire to take up the leadership role in the IPL and he might end up leading Punjab Kings in the 2021 edition.

Iyer can strengthen Punjab’s middle-order. Punjab have lacked dependable middle-order batsmen in their batting unit and adding Shreyas Iyer could make things easier for them.

Shreyas Iyer missed out on the first half of the IPL 2021 due to a shoulder injury. He, however, recovered in time and played the second leg of the tournament for Delhi. In 8 matches, he scored 175 runs at an average and strike rate of 35 and 102.33