• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Ipl 2022 Shikhar Dhawan Excited About The Prospect Of Opening With Mayank Agarwal

IPL 2022 | Shikhar Dhawan excited about the prospect of opening with Mayank Agarwal

India's ODI specialist Shikhar Dhawan recently said he was excited to play under Mayank Agarwal's leadership in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhawan opined that it would be a big responsibility to open with the right-hander if he gets the opportunity.


The Punjab Kings (PBKS) bought the flamboyant left-hander for a hefty sum of INR 8.25 crore at the IPL auction last month. Last season, the 36-year-old had a brilliant run when he scored 587 runs in 16 games playing for Delhi Capitals (DC). 


DC released him, although he has been performing brilliantly since the last few seasons, which was a surprising move nonetheless. 

"I am approaching this with a positive mindset as playing under Mayank will be good for me. We have a strong team, and the youngsters are very talented. We hope to produce something special this season," Dhawan told NDTV. 

"If I get a chance to open with Mayank, it would be a big responsibility for me, and I am prepared for the challenge," he added further.

PBKS retained Agarwal for INR 12 crores, alongside Arshdeep Singh ahead of the mega-auctions. Later, the Karnataka opener was appointed as captain of the Mohali-based franchise. This came in the aftermath of ex-skipper KL Rahul's request to release him ahead of IPL retentions. 

Agarwal now has the added responsibility of scoring runs and ensuring his team performs consistently and end the drought of the team's first major IPL title.

PBKS face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Mumbai on 27th March in their first game of tournament.

Discover more
Top Stories
news

WI vs ENG | 2nd Test | Day 2: Ben Stokes scores first century since return

England stand firm in the Test match on Day 2 of the second game after piling on 500 runs in the first innings. A big innings from Ben Stokes headlined for the most part of the day, before debutant Matthew Fisher took the first wicket of the West Indies line-up, making the Barmy Army sing his name. England declared their first innings at 507/9 after playing 150.5 overs owing to Ben Stokes’ first century since his return from a break. This was also Stokes’ first century after his father’s death, who he chose to remember after reaching the three-figure mark. Alongside Stokes, captain Joe Root also reached his 150 before getting trapped in front by the wily Kemar Roach who picked two wickets on the day. Root’s wicket which came after England adding 130 runs for their first partnership today, did not dent momentum. Relying on Stokes’ 120 runs off 128 balls, England kept a very healthy scoring rate, managing to put on runs at a pace that they have done in a while. It must be remembered that anything England do in this Test series is aimed at their rehaul approach of Test cricket in a country that has seen gut crunching defeats against the top teams in the world. Stokes’ 11 fours and 6 sixes laden innings was a treat to watch for the English fans who understood that there is no way for Windies to get back any longer. Late partnerships in the day from Ben Foakes and Chris Woakes further added to the total and England declared after quick three wickets of Foakes Woakes and Jack Leach. Coming into bowl, Matthew Fisher took his maiden wicket in the very second ball of his first over. After getting hit for four in the first ball, Fisher pushed the ball further up to induce an edge from John Cambell who threw his bat trying to drive the ball through covers. Fisher was an unlikely entry into this Test match, but Craig Overton’s illness paved the way for the 24-year-old fast bowler. At the end of Day 2, England are well poised in their lead of 436 runs. If the first Test match had any signs, the middle order of the Windies batting looks fragile and has crumbled in pressure. However, Jason Holder and Nkrumah Bonner are the two key wickets that England would be looking for on Day 3, if they have any aspirations to win this game.

news

ICC Women’s World Cup | Windies pacer Shamilia Connell collapses in the field

West Indies pacer Shamilia Connell fell down on the field while fielding in the 47th over of the chase in a crucial game against Bangladesh in the ICC Women’s World Cup currently being played in New Zealand. The right-arm tearaway fast bowler’s collapse brought a long spell of stoppage at a crucial time in the game, with the match hanging in balance in the 47th over. The medical staff rushed out to the ground and after staying down for a considerable amount of time, Connell stood up and walked into the ambulance. "A bit worrying to see her go down like that. She is a fighter, not sure what is wrong with her but hopefully she is all right." Connell did not take any further part in the game. While an update on the situation is yet to be received from the ICC or the West Indies team, her colleagues felt positive that she will be up and running soon. The break aided West Indies and they were able to seal the game with three balls remaining. The women from the Caribbean shores defended a paltry total of 140 runs by bowling out Bangladesh. Hayley Matthews was adjudged the man of the match after her incredible opening and finishing spells where she took four wickets in total. West Indies are in contention for the top four spots, currently maintaining the third position in the ranking table. They have are right behind Australia and South Africa, who have been the teams to beat this season. However, one of their biggest issues at the moment is that they have a very poor runrate going into the tight phases of the competition and would like to improve on that in their next game against Pakistan - an opponent that has not won a single match in the competition so far.