3 times Mayank Agarwal was criticized for his strike-rate in the IPL
Since the tournament-opener three weeks ago, the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) has been the talk of the town. The hype began even before the tournament began on March 31 and hasn't dropped much since.
Amidst all the build-up to the marquee league, one of the players to watch out for was certainly going to be Mayank Agarwal. The swashbuckling opener was released by his former franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS). The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) splashed out ₹8.25 crores for him at the IPL 2023 mini auction.
However, things haven't started the way he would've liked with his new franchise. So far in the five games he has played this season, the SRH opener has managed to score only 113 runs at an average of 22.6.
Although Agarwal's role has always been of an attacker up front, he has looked a bit out of sorts and his season strike rate of 108.65 has also been alarming. This has also brought him plenty of criticism already this season.
However, this isn't particularly new to the opener as he has been criticized for slow knocks in previous seasons as well.
On that note, let's take a look at the three times Mayank Agarwal was slammed for his low strike-rate in the IPL.
#1 48 off 41 vs Mumbai Indians | Match 25, IPL 2023
The latest knock on this particular list, Mayank Agarwal scored 48 off 41 balls against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 25 of IPL 2023. It was one of his most placid knocks in the marquee league.
Chasing a steep target of 193 on Tuesday (April 18), Agarwal got off to a start, but couldn't quite get going. That meant that other players, including Aiden Markram and Henrich Klassen, had to take extra risks. Those risks didn't come off and SRH kept on losing wickets to finally get bowled out for 178.
Agarwal, who opened the innings with Harry Brook, scored four boundaries and a six en route, but finished with a strike rate of just 117.07. Although he batted for 15 overs, Agarwal's knock didn't help his side as much as they would've liked. The 32-year old understandably faced some wrath from fans following his slow knock.
#2 34 off 33 vs Chennai Super Kings | Qualifier 1, IPL 2011
![Mayank Agarwal in action for RCB against CSK [IPLT20]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/04/120a1-16819365365874-1920.jpg?w=500)
Mayank Agarwal played his first season in the Indian Premier League for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) back in 2011.
However, he didn't set the stage alight from the word go, scoring just 141 runs at an average of around 20 and at a strike rate of 117 across seven innings.
After Tillakaratne Dilshan left the tournament mid-way due to international duties, RCB chopped and changed several opening combinations. They gave Agarwal a golden chance to shine against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the all-important Qualifier 1 in Mumbai.
Opening the batting alongside Chris Gayle, Mayank started his innings well but soon went into a shell, taking 33 balls for his painstaking 34. Virat Kohli did play a fantastic knock of 70 (off 40 balls) to take RCB's total to 175 in the first innings. However, Mayank's innings at a poor strike rate of 103.03 didn't help the cause.
CSK went on to win the tie on the back of a clinical 74-run knock by Suresh Raina from just 50 balls.
#3 18 off 21 vs Chennai Super Kings | Match 38, IPL 2022
![Mayank Agarwal in action for PBKS [IPLT20]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/04/948b8-16819426237635-1920.jpg)
Although Mayank Agarwal's best strike rate in the IPL for a single franchise came with the Punjab Kings (PBKS), he had some games where he failed to take off.
One of his sedate knocks during his time with PBKS came in Match 38 of IPL 2022 against CSK. Opening the batting with Shikhar Dhawan at the Wankhede Stadium, PBKS needed a strong start to post a competitive total.
However, Agarwal hit just two boundaries during his 24-ball stay, scoring 21 runs at a dull rate of 85.7.
While he did rotate strike at a decent level, he lacked enough boundaries to put pressure on the opposition bowlers. As a result, PBKS could only score 37 runs in the opening six overs, their least productive powerplay of the 2022 season.
With a dot-ball percentage of over 43%, it was Mayank's slowest knock as a PBKS batter. Luckily for PBKS, Shikhar Dhawan played a blinder of an innings (88 not out off 59) to help his side win the encounter by 11 runs in the end.
Mayank will get a chance to put his record against CSK right when his SRH team visit Chennai on Friday, April 21.