(Cricket news) The 2022 IPL will be starting in a couple of weeks as the players get ready for the 15th edition. Punjab Kings spent over 70 crores at the auction table and retained two players into the squad. Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh will continue to represent the team as this time it will be Mayank Agarwal who will be leading the side. Mayank has been the vice captain in the past and did lead the team a few times but now has a tough assignment to complete when the event starts.
The 31 year old is looking at a side with a handful of experienced batter and bowlers as the rest of the team is filled with untapped talent. The team spent 11.5 crores on Liam Livingstone as the all rounder has some big shoes to fill, the English player is a hard hitter of the ball and can bowl both leg and off spin. With the absence of KL Rahul and Mohammad Shami, the bowling attack will be led by Kagiso Rabada who has been one of the best bowlers in the league since his debut. Sandeep Sharma will be looking to swing the ball in and out to the batter; his economy rate of 7.78 in 99 matches is proof that the bowler can keep the runs in check.
Nathan Ellis has proven to be a top wicket taker in the Big Bash League and will now need to do the same in India; the right arm medium has only played 3 matches so far and can expect to play more matches this season. Arshdeep Singh will need to repeat his last year’s performance with the team as he picked up 18 wickets along with a 5 wicket haul. Benny Howell will also look to make an impression in the side with his slower balls and has also proven to be a useful lower order batter in the Bangladesh Premier League. Teenager Raj Angad Bawa was bought for 2 crores as the all rounder has been one of the best bowlers in the under 19 Indian side. Ishan Porel and Vaibhav Arora have an economy rate under 7 in the domestic circuits in the format and it will be interesting to see how they fare against the international players.
Shikhar Dhawan will most probably be opening with Mayank as the left hander is a reliable batter in the format and can go for the big ones against the top bowlers. Jonny Bairstow’s inclusion into the side is definitely a positive sign as he can provide the match winning knocks. Shahrukh Khan will also be in the power packed batting department, although the 26 year old is yet to score a half century in the league so far he can be the key player in the death overs. Bhanuka Rajapaksa will be making his IPL debut this time and has an impressive track record in the format for Sri Lanka. Jitesh Sharma has been one of the top batters for the Vidarbha side, the wicketkeeper batter scored 214 runs in 8 matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season and has a great opportunity to showcase his much needed batting skills.
Rahul Chahar will be leading the spin attack and can form a partnership with Harpreet Brar which can be a right – left combination. Although Chahar is expecting a heavy workload, the team will find its way after playing a few matches. Odean Smith will also try to work on his economy rate as it did not go well for the bowler against India in the recently concluded series.
Mayank will need to come up with a strategy to form a lethal batting attack as the squad has a few experienced players but the youngsters need to step in bowling and batting departments. Although the bowlers look more set in position, the team will need to bring in the runs with the batters.
Squad: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odeon 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.
Also read: IPL teams to start training from March 14 or 15, five practice venues identified
