Shikhar Dhawan replaces Mayank Agarwal as Punjab Kings captain

Shikhar Dhawan will reportedly replace Mayank Agarwal as Punjab Kings captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year.

Dhawan, who has led Team India occasionally in recent tours especially in the ODI format, was announced as the new leader by the franchise itself, with the Punjab Kings tweeting out the development on Wednesday.

“Gabbar will be at the for Punjab Kings!#SherSquad, welcome your Skipper, Jatt ji!,” Punjab Kings wrote in a tweet posted on Wednesday evening.

Agarwal gets replaced as the skipper after leading the franchise for just one season in 2022. The Karnataka batter had been retained by the franchise alongside Arshdeep Singh after KL Rahul, who had served as the captain for in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, joined the Lucknow Super Giants as their leader. The team, however, had a mixed run under Agarwal’s leadership, winning seven and losing as many and finished sixth in the points table.

Dhawan, meanwhile, had been bought by the Punjab Kings for a sum of Rs 8.25 crore last year after getting released by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the mega auction. The 36-year-old was in fairly good nick with the bat in his first season with the Kings, his sixth franchise in the IPL, collecting 460 runs in 14 games across the season at an average of 38.33 including three half-centuries.

The franchise, which used to go by the name ‘Kings XI Punjab’ until the 2020 season, had appointed Bayliss as head coach Anil Kumble’s replacement in September. The Australian had earlier served as the head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, as well as Sri Lanka and England in international cricket. Fellow Aussie Brad Haddin would then join the franchise as Bayliss’ assistant last month.

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