IPL 2023: Punjab Kings To Sack Captain Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan To Be Named As New Skipper – Reports

Punjab Kings (PBKS) franchise is all set to sack captain Mayank Agarwal and veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan is set to be appointed as the new skipper of the franchise from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, as per a report in ESPNcricinfo.

The decision to appoint Dhawan as the new captain was approved on Wednesday during a franchise board meeting and was backed by Punjab Kings’ newly appointed head coach Trevor Bayliss.

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Dhawan, who is the second highest run-getter in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), was bought by the PBKS franchise at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction for INR 8.25 crore ($1.1 million approx.)

In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, which was his first season with the PBKS, Dhawan scored 460 runs in 14 matches at an average of 38.33 and a strike rate of 122.66, including 3 half-centuries.

Mayank Agarwal Struggled In IPL 2022

Agarwal, who was one of two players – Arshdeep Singh being the other – retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, had an extremely poor run with the bat in his first season as skipper.

Mayank Agarwal, who was in top-notch form in IPL 2020 and 2021, scored just 196 runs in 13 matches at an average of 16.33 and a strike rate of 122.50, including one fifty, in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

Also, Punjab Kings, despite being one of the strongest teams on paper after the auction, failed to do well and ended the season in sixth place.

Meanwhile, it has not been confirmed whether the PBKS franchise will retain or release Agarwal, who has a salary of INR 12 crore, ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.

All ten Indian Premier League (IPL) teams have been asked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to submit the list of the retained players by November 15.

The date for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction, which will be a mini-auction, has not been officially announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, a few reports have stated that the Indian Premier League 2023 auction will be held on December 16 in Turkey or Bengaluru.

Notably, after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction, Punjab Kings had INR 3.45 crore left in their purse.

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