Mayank Agarwal had made his intentions clear that he was focussing on making the last season of the IPL count. On cue, he backed his words with dominating performances with the bat across the season. He was at the top of his game from the first game of the season and finished the 13th edition of the league with 424 runs from 10 games.
His chances were curtailed due to an injury that forced him away from the game for a lengthy period of time as Kings XI Punjab got knocked out of the race to the playoffs.
He was picked in Indian teams for the tour of Australia but could not quite make big runs to cement his place. Subsequently, he went out of favour from the team and faces a long time away from the playing XI as his replacements have shone bright with the bat.
Now, with another edition of the IPL scheduled to kick off from this week, Mayank is looking forward to making his opportunities count yet again and leave an impression on the Indian team management. On the question of whether he is eyeing a spot in the ICC World T20 with performances in IPL 2021, Mayank refused to look so far beyond in the time.
“IPL is a long tournament with so many matches. I will look to make the best use of opportunities and let my performances help my team win the title. A good show in IPL always works wonders. As far as the T20 World Cup goes, I am not thinking about it. It is still quite far. But yes, I would like to make an impression,” Mayank said in an interview with Hindustan Times.
The Punjab Kings will compete once again looking to win their maiden IPL title with a revamped name and an enforced change in approach due to matches being shifted to neutral venues.
However, they will play as many as five matches at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru which is a home ground for both Mayank and their skipper KL Rahul.
Mayank Agarwal said he gel nicely with his long-term teammate and hailed him as an ‘incredible’ cricketer. He said that having a good bond with Rahul helps him each other’s game on the field.
“Rahul is an incredible cricketer. His game makes scoring look very easy. It would be amazing to go out there and play together in Bengaluru. I have always enjoyed with him as a partner at the other end. This is the fourth year we will be playing for Punjab. Our friendship helps us gel on the field as we understand each other’s game well. I am hoping for another electric season for both of us,” Mayank added.
Punjab started their last season with a lot of promise and was equally dominating till the middle phase of the season. Mayank outlined that the team had played well in clusters and that they will look forward to correcting that record with consistent performances this season.
“We missed qualifying for the playoffs last season by one victory. Punjab Kings need to be consistent and display a good brand of cricket to taste success. The team has been successful in clusters in the past, but we have lacked consistency,” Mayank said.
The Punjab Kings will start their IPL 2021 campaign on April 12 against the Rajasthan Royals.