“He’s the leader in the team”: Mayank Agarwal lauds Arshdeep Singh for taking responsibility at Punjab Kings in 2022 IPL

Mayank Agarwal lauds Arshdeep Singh: The captain of Punjab Kings credits his pacer for taking the additional responsibility.

Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal has credited England batters Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone for their 54-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Brabourne Stadium tonight.

Although they batted together for a 15-ball 16-run third-wicket partnership, Bairstow and Livingstone scored individual half-centuries in the first and second half of Punjab’s innings respectively. The pair scoring a combined total of 136 (71) at a strike rate of 191.54 was a vital reason behind the team scoring a match-winning 209/9 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first by RCB captain Faf du Plessis.

“We were brilliant with the bat. Wicket was holding up a bit. The way Jonny [Bairstow] and Livi [Liam Livingstone] batted, was amazing. We haven’t changed a lot to be honest, just about understanding few situations, understanding the wicket,” Agarwal told Star Sports during the post-match presentation ceremony.

With PBKS adding a couple of points under their belt, they have moved to the sixth position on the points table. Yet to play a couple of league matches this season, as many wins could witness Kings qualifying for the playoffs. Agarwal, who has sacrificed his preferred opening slot to accommodate Bairstow at the top, was unconcerned about his batting position.

“If batsman get going, it doesn’t matter, the boundaries don’t matter these days. Two points the most crucial thing for us. As long as the job gets done, I’m fine batting at [Number] five,” Agarwal added.

Mayank Agarwal lauds Arshdeep Singh for taking responsibility at Punjab Kings

Other than Bairstow and Livingstone, Agarwal particularly credited fast bowler Arshdeep Singh for not only bowling well himself but also emerging as a “leader” within the team especially the bowling unit.

The only other player apart from Agarwal to get retained by Punjab ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction earlier this year, Arshdeep hasn’t picked a lot of wickets but his composure while bowling in the death overs remains unmatched among uncapped players. In 12 IPL 2022 matches, the left-arm pacer’s seven wickets have come at an economy rate of 7.69.

ALSO READ: Arshdeep Singh credits Mayank Agarwal’s captaincy for his impressive death bowling in IPL 2022

“Very very energetic person, very confident guy. Enjoys his cricket. Must say he’s the leader in the team. He rallies around everyone, takes up the responsibility, even goes up and speaks to the bowlers sometimes,” Agarwal said of Arshdeep before concluding.