Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Sunrisers Hyderabad will target Mayank Agarwal in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2023 auction, which will take place in Kochi on December 23. Mayank Agarwal was released by Punjab Kings whereas Sunrisers Hyderabad had also released their skipper Kane Williamson.
Agarwal had led Punjab Kings in the previous season of the IPL but he could not deliver the goods for the Mohali-based franchise. The Karnataka batter scored 196 runs in 13 matches at an average of 16.33 and a strike rate of 122.50.
Pathan added Agarwal can play freely for Sunrisers Hyderabad and he can also lead the Orange Army as he has the experience of leading an IPL team. SRH have a remaining purse of INR 42.25 crores and they can target the big players at the auction. On the other hand, Mayank Agarwal has set his base price at INR 1 crore.
“SRH will go after Mayank Agarwal because they need a kind of aggressive opener as well. They don’t have Kane Williamson right now who led them for many years as an experienced player and who used to open the innings as well. Mayank Agarwal is the kind of guy who has led a side, who plays quite freely as well, very fearless, very selfless. They might be thinking of him going forward as a leader as well,” Pathan shared his views on the Star Sports show Game Plan.
Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal has scored 2331 runs in 113 IPL matches at an average of 22.63 and a strike rate of 134.51.
Agarwal will be looking to make a solid comeback to form as he scored 165 runs in eight matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022 while playing for Karnataka.
Agarwal has the experience under his belt and he would want to come up with consistent performances. The right-hander had a good season in IPL 2021 for Punjab Kings as he scored 441 runs in 14 matches at an average of 40.09 and a strike rate of 140.45, which has been his best season in the lucrative tournament.
