3 reasons why PBKS appointing Mayank Agarwal as captain is a risky move

Mayank Agarwal has been named the new PBKS skipper.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) today appointed Mayank Agarwal as their new captain ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season.

They had to release their former captain, KL Rahul, after last season and he was snapped up by new franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Mayank and uncapped pacer Arshdeep Singh were the two players retained by PBKS, but the they waited for after the IPL 2022 auction to name the former their new skipper.

👀 ➩🏆

#SherSquad, the 🆕 #CaptainPunjab means business! 🤩

#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #TATAIPL2022 https://t.co/RAlOxJaznT

In an official release by the franchise, the new captain was quoted as saying:

"I have been at Punjab Kings since 2018 and I take a lot of pride in representing this fantastic unit. I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the team."

He went on to add:

"I take over this responsibility with utmost sincerity, but at the same time, I believe my job would be made easier with the talent we have at the Punjab Kings squad this season."

"I thank the team management for entrusting me with this new role of leading the side. I look forward to the new season and the new challenges it brings with it," he concluded.

PBKS had a good outing at the auction and have built a formidable squad for Mayank Agarwal to lead.

Players Retained: 2⃣ 👍

Players Bought At The Auction: 2⃣3⃣ 👌

Here's a look at the @PunjabKingsIPL squad for the #TATAIPL 2022 💪 https://t.co/NbfojHKIA3

PBKS squad: Mayank Agarwal (C), Arshdeep Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell

While Mayank Agarwal has now been with PBKS for four years, and has captained the team when KL Rahul was unavailable for a match last season, scoring a brilliant 99* from 58 deliveries albeit in a losing cause.

At 31, he has a wealth of experience on his side, and his longevity at the team made him one of the frontrunners for captaincy after PBKS parted ways with KL Rahul.

However, there may be a slight chance that the move ends up being detrimental for him and the team.

Here are 3 reasons why PBKS appointing Mayank Agarwal as captain could be risky move:

#1 Inexperienced leader

This is set to be Mayank Agarwal's first stint as captain in senior cricket. He has never captained in the IPL or even domestic cricket.

He will feel the pressure when he has to make crunch decisions and when the match is going away from the team, and there is no indication yet as to how he will handle those situations.

The IPL is one of the most competitive tournaments in world cricket and he is being thrown into the deep end. But PBKS will hope that his experience as a player will equip him to make the difficult decisions when the need arises.

#2 Pressure of leadership

Mayank Agarwal has largely been overshadowed by his opening partner KL Rahul for the majority of their stint at Punjab Kings, with both of them joining the franchise in 2018.

Rahul was the more prolific batter of the two, but that was also largely down to the fact that since being handed captaincy, he also slowed down and batted more conservatively to try and protect the team from collapses.

At the same time, it was Mayank who was responsible for giving PBKS explosive starts as the swashbuckling opener took the attack to the bowlers.

After a disappointing outing in IPL 2018, he came back strong in 2019, scoring 332 runs at a strike rate of 141.88.

In IPL 2020, he was in phenomenal form, hitting 424 runs at 156.45. Rahul won the Orange Cap with 670 runs that year, but had a strike rate of just 129.34.

In 2021, Mayank made 441 runs at 140.44.

What has made Mayank stand out for PBKS is his intent at the top of the order, and it would be detrimental for the team if the burden of captaincy sees him become a more conservative player, like it did with Rahul.

#3 Step up from supporting role

This will be Mayank Agarwal's first season playing the lead role in a team, having always had other bigger stars around him.

Shikhar Dhawan, of course, is a superstar alongside him, but with age not on his side, the spotlight will be on Mayank when it comes to the PBKS batting lineup.

He has Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow with him, but after the IPL 2022 auction, it was clear that Mayank Agarwal was going to step into a bigger role for PBKS after KL Rahul's departure.

Being given captaincy on top of that may add to the pressure on the opener.