IPL Retention: KL Rahul Departs, Mayank Agarwal to be Named as Punjab Kings Skipper

The Indian Premier League is all set to expand from the next season with the addition of two new teams Lucknow and Ahmedabad. franchises are to submit their retention list on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. Ahead of the submission of the final list, several reports have emerged that Punjab Kings are likely to lose their skipper KL Rahul and they are likely to release all their players ahead of the mega auction.

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has opined that Punjab Kings, which according to him, is the most under-performing franchise of the IPL, should try and hold on to Mayank Agarwal, one of their star performers ever since the franchise roped in the batter. The 44-year-old also believes that the Karnataka batter should be named their captain.

“It (Punjab Kings) is the most underperforming team of the tournament. They have qualified the least number of times and have not done so for the last so many years. They have never won the final.” “If you believe reports, KL Rahul is parting ways. So if he goes, Mayank Agarwal has to be my first choice and he should be made the captain,” said Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.

The former India opener also said that the Mohali-based franchise should retain Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram, with Chopra rooting for the latter due to “his growth trajectory”. “I will think about one out of Markram and Nicholas Pooran. Markram will be in my thoughts because his growth trajectory is going up. Nicholas Pooran has disappointed a little. I will not retain either of them. Chris Gayle – no, not to be needed,” said Chopra.

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When talking about Indian talents that PBKS could retain, Aakash Chopra feels that ace India pacer Mohammad Shami could be kept or repurchased at a lower price at the auction. Sharukh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh are the options that Punjab Kings should consider when it comes to Indian uncapped players.

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All the Indian Premier League franchises are to submit their retention list on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. Each team can retain up to four players, and if they do that, a sum of INR 42 crore would be deducted from their overall purse of INR 90 crore. Similarly, for three retentions, INR 33 crore would be deducted. For two retention, the kitty would reduce by INR 24 crore and INR 14 crore for one.