Did you Know: Mayank Agarwal scored 99* on his captaincy debut in IPL

On 2^nd May 2021, Punjab Kings (PBKS) opener Mayank Agarwal stepped into KL Rahul’s shoes and captained his side for their game against the Delhi Capitals (DC). Agarwal was the top scorer of the match as he led his team from the front, and played a captain’s knock of 99*(58). Falling short of just 1 run from getting his century, his efforts went in vain as PBKS lost their game to the Capitals.

Scoring 60% of the team’s total score of 166, Mayank made his mark in the team to prove his abilities and skills as the captain. Before the match, he had scored only 161 runs in the six games that he had played in that season. But with his sensational knock, at a strike rate of 170.7, he made a great comeback and proved himself on the field.

Mayank Agarwal was named the Player of the Match for his startling knock

Mayank’s 99* became the second-best score by a player on captaincy debut as the Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson held the first position with his knock of 119 against PBKS in that very season. Agarwal might have surely grabbed the attention of the team’s management as he was among the only two players retained by PBKS, and is also the skipper of the team for the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League.

Agarwal is also just the third player to have stood at 99* at the end of an IPL inning. The other two names are that of Suresh Raina, against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Chris Gayle, against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who scored 99* in the year 2013 and 2019 respectively. Not just that, the current PBKS skipper also overtook Shaun Marsh to become the batter with the highest score in a match against DC in the IPL. Marsh held the title for scoring 95 runs against DC, then Delhi Daredevils, in the year 2011.

The 15^th edition of the IPL starts on 26^th March, and Agarwal will be seen captaining a newly curated PBKS when they open their campaign on 27^th March, Sunday, against RCB at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.