IPL 2023: 5 most surprising releases by franchises ahead of auction
Not many had anticipated these moves.
4. Mayank Agarwal
Within a year, the stocks of Mayank Agarwal have fallen massively. From leading Punjab Kings in IPL 2022 to getting released from the squad ahead of IPL 2023, the Karnataka batter has seen it all.
Punjab Kings appointed Mayank Agarwal their skipper in the IPL 2022 after he had a tremendous season with the bat in the previous edition. Mayank amassed 441 runs at an average of over 40 and a strike rate of over 140. However, the burden of captaincy affected Mayank Agarwal’s batting and he could only manage 196 runs at an average of 16.33.
Mayank’s release is a major surprise as Punjab Kings do not have a lot of reliable Indian players in their squad. Shikhar Dhawan is the only experienced batter in their ranks and they will need a quality Indian batter to support him. Furthermore, an opener like Mayank Agarwal will be a rare commodity in the mini-auctions. Now, whether the Mohali-based franchise can find his able replacement or not remains to be seen.
