IPL 2023 Retention: Punjab Kings release ex-captain Mayank Agarwal, Odean Smith, retain Shahrukh Khan | Cricket News – Times of India

MUMBAI: The Punjab Kings have decided to release their former captain and opener Mayank Agarwal and West Indian allrounder Odean Smith ahead of the IPL-2023 auction, even as they have retained Tamil Nadu big-hitter Shahrukh Khan, TOI has learnt. The deadline for the franchises to retain their players closes at 5pm today.
Overall, the Mohali-based Punjab Kings have released 9 players in the auction – Mayank Agarwal, Odeon Smith, Vaibhav Arora, Sandeep Sharma, Prerak Mankad, Ansh Patel, Ishan Porel, Writtick Chatterjee and English allrounder Benny Howell.

On November 2, PBKS had replaced Agarwal with veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, who was bought by the franchise for INR 8.25 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction, as the captain of the side. Agarwal, who has been playing in the IPL since 2011 was amongst the two players retained (for Rs 14 crores) by the Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL-2022 auction. “Mayank is an explosive batsman, and should fetch a good price at the IPL auction. At this point, this move will enable PBKS to go in with a deep purse at the auction,” said a source.
Despite possessing a strong team, the Punjab Kings finished sixth IPL-2022 under Mayank’s captaincy. To make it worse, the 31-year-old from Bangalore scored just 196 runs in 13 matches at an average of 16.33 and a strike rate of 122.50, including one fifty.
Meanwhile, Shahrukh Khan, who scored just 117 runs in 8 games at an average of 16.71 and a strike rate of 108.33, was expected to be released by the franchise, but has managed to retain his spot in the team.