IPL 2023: 3 Players Who Can Play the Role of Mayank Agarwal In PBKS Squad

With only seven wins from 14 matches, Agarwal failed to impress in his maiden stint as the Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper. He did not have the best of times with the bat either. The right-handed batter could only score 196 runs from 12 innings at a poor average of 16.33. Although Mayank Agarwal could not perform as per the expectation in the last season, still he was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

The top-order batter has played 12 seasons in the history of the league and is an experienced campaigner. Having made his IPL debut back in 2011, Agarwal is a seasoned campaigner. The Karnataka batter has played 107 IPL innings, scoring 2,327 runs at a modest average of 23 and a decent strike rate of 134.28. His tally includes a century and 12 fifties.

He had prolific IPL seasons with Punjab Kings in 2020 and 2021, when he averaged 38.55 and 40.09, respectively. With an exception of the 2022 season, Agarwal fared well with the Punjab-based franchise. Without Agarwal, it’ll be interesting to see who will play his role in the PBKS lineup. In this article, we look at the three PBKS players who can fill Agarwal’s void.

3 PBKS Players Who Can Fill Agarwal’s Shoes:

3) Prabhsimran Singh

Prabhsimran has been retained by the Punjab Kings franchise ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. PBKS handed him his debut cap in 2019, but he hasn’t performed to his potential yet. In the 6 IPL matches he has played so far, the wicket-keeper batter has amassed 64 runs with the highest score of 16. His current form has been very good. The rookie batter was brilliant with the bat in last year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) as well.

While representing Punjab, he was the third leading run-getter in the 2022 season of SMAT. Overall, the dynamic batter scored 320 runs, including four fifty-plus scores, and at a blistering strike rate of 141.59. If the Punjab Kings franchise would give him a chance to play at the top in Agarwal’s place, Prabhsimran Singh would love to replicate his brilliant form during the upcoming edition of the IPL. 

2) Matthew Short

Matthew Short is a new name in the IPL circuit. The tall right-handed batter has been roped in as a replacement for Jonny Bairstow by PBKS team management. Primarily an opening batter, Short can be an apt replacement for Punjab Kings at the top of the order with captain Shikhar Dhawan. He scored the second most runs in the last year’s BBL, the right-handed batter amassed 458 runs across 14 innings at an average and strike rate of 35.23 and 144.47 respectively including a match-winning hundred and two half-centuries. Given how well Short has performed in T20 cricket over the last few months, PBKS might well be interested in giving him a chance to showcase his talent in his preferred batting position. Adding that he brings value with the ball as well, making him a great T20 asset.

1) Shikhar Dhawan

Regarded as one of the best batters in the history of IPL, Shikhar Dhawan replaced Mayank Agarwal as the captain of the Punjab Kings. Being the senior player in the squad with experience of leading in the IPL as well as leading India, it was an easy call for the team management. In Agarwal’s absence, Dhawan will have to perform the dual role of Captain & Batter to great effect if PBKS wants to end the trophy drought. As captain, Dhawan will have to take the right calls on and off the field which Agarwal couldn’t do last season. Also, he has to lead by example for which he has to score big runs for his team.

Dhawan has always been a consistent performer with the bat and he will look to continue his stunning form from last season when he smashed 460 runs in 14 matches last season at 38.33. While there is uncertainty around who will partner Dhawan at the top, the left-handed batter will have to take the responsibility of doing the bulk of the scoring and batting maximum overs. If he could do that, PBKS will find itself in a great position.