Punjab Kings retained only two players before the auction-Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh. The Kings entered the auction with the highest purse value of INR 72 crore and 23 spots to fill. And at the end of the two-day auction, Punjab signed 23 more players, including seven overseas players, into their squad. Since then, the fans are curious about the new captain of the side. A player who could be the successor to KL Rahul.
PBKS spent a whopping amount of INR 84.55 crore in the auction and bought some big names for the team: Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, and Jonny Bairstow. But Punjab Kings are yet to reveal the name of their skipper, who will lead the team. However, there was some speculation that Mayank Agarwal would be the first choice after KL Rahul, as he has captained the side in a few matches in the absence of KL. But now, with the signing of Shikhar Dhawan, this topic has become more interesting.
In an interview with News9 Sports, the co-owner, Mohit Burman, has come up with his views on the captaincy role. He said that a player who has played with the team in the last few seasons is always the first choice. Because he understands the role of each player and the thinking of the coaching staff. Indirectly highlighting Mayank Agarwal, Burman said that it is an advantage for the team to pick a guy to lead the team.who has been there with you.
Mayank Agarwal has been there with the team since the 2018 edition. He, along with former skipper KL Rahul, has been their top run-scorer for the past 3 seasons. Adding further to that, Burman said, “He has a good rapport with the coaches. And the idea is to give him a strong bunch of players who fill up all the positions.”
Veteran batsman Shikhar Dhawan is another contender for the captaincy of Punjab Kings
With the highest purse value for the auction, Punjab Kings didn’t shy away from spending money on the good players. That’s the reason they bought the costliest overseas player at the 2022 auction. PBKS bought Liam Livingstone for a massive amount of Rs 11.5 crore. However, because of KL Rahul’s leaving the team ahead of the auction, PBKS needed a good Indian opener for their team. And guess what? They bought Shikhar Dhawan in the auction for INR 8.25 crore, who could be a perfect replacement for their former skipper at the top.
PBKS co-owner also talked about their strategy of picking Shikhar Dhawan in the auction. He said the team was looking for an experienced player. A player who could lead and be a team player at the same time. Burman concluded, “Therefore, I wanted to give an equal playing side which will come across as a strong team than to have one strong leader.”
PBKS also signed South African speedster Kagiso Rabada for Rs 9.25 crore, in addition to Dhawan and Livingstone. Jonny Bairstow was another steal for PBKS at an amount of Rs 6.75 crore at the auction.