Mayank Agarwal, India’s Test opener, has been named captain of Punjab Kings in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
Bengaluru-born Agarwal, 31, was retained by Punjab Kings along with young pacer Arshdeep Singh and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar.
“I have been at Punjab Kings since 2018 and I’m proud to represent this fantastic organization. “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead the team,” Agarwal said in a press release issued by the franchise.
“I take over this responsibility with utmost sincerity, but at the same time, I believe the talent at the Punjab Kings squad will make my job easier.”
In addition to serving as the squad’s vice-captain, Agarwal also briefly led the team last season.
“We have some very experienced players in our ranks, along with some talented youngsters eager to take advantage of this opportunity.
“We’ve always taken to the field hoping to win the title, and as a team we will once again work towards winning that first IPL trophy. It is an honor to be entrusted with the role of leading the side by the management.
“I look forward to the upcoming season and the challenges it brings.” Agarwal, who made his IPL debut in 2011, has aggregated more than 400 runs in the past two seasons. Additionally, he has played 19 Tests, scoring 1429 runs, including four hundreds, and five One-Day Internationals for India.
In 2014, Punjab Kings reached the IPL finals only once, a perennial underachiever in the league. They finished sixth out of eight teams in the last three seasons.
Having gone into the recent mega auction with the maximum purse, the franchise picked up some quality players and hopes to win the IPL title for the first time this year.
