Shikhar Dhawan has taken over for Mayank Agarwal as the captain of the Punjab Kings, marking the 14th captaincy change in 16 seasons. Their franchise board meeting on Wednesday accepted this. Given their underwhelming performance last season, the concept has been percolating around the franchise for a while. In any case, Trevor Bayliss, the World Cup and Ashes-winning coach of England from Australia, has taken over for Anil Kumble, whose three-year contract as head coach expired earlier last month. When the coaching staff is set to arrive in India, between the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare competition, a decision will be taken over whether to keep Agarwal, trade him, or release him.
Dhawan replaces Mayank as Kings XI Punjab Captain
The deadline for submitting a list of players who will be released for the auction is November 15. The auction will take place in the third week of December, as this website has already said. Dhawan’s rising status on a national white ball team is one clear factor in the change in power. Despite not being selected for the Twenty20 matches, Dhawan has recently been leading the ODI team. He was been named captain for the ODI series in New Zealand as well.
According to reports, the management wants Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow to open frequently, which is another reason for the scheduled change. Choosing the batting order was becoming challenging because Mayank was an opener in addition to being the captain.
One of the two franchises that were retained last year was Mayank, and it cost Rs 14 crore. In 12 innings, the India opener scored 196 runs at an average of 16.33. Biarstow, in comparison, had accrued 253 runs at an average of 23 in 11 games. Dhawan led the group in scoring.
Shikar as new Captain for Punjab Kings
When all the details of Bairstow’s availability for the series are known, a decision will be made regarding whether Mayank will be released. His injury appears to have been fairly severe, and it is uncertain whether he will play in the IPL. We will check with Mayank before making a decision about his release, a franchise insider stated.