'I think captaincy put pressure on him' - Harbhajan Singh reviews Mayank Agarwal's poor run in IPL 2022

The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 is completed with the new entrants Gujarat Titans (GT) making history after lifting the prized cup in the first go. While the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Hardik Pandya had a great season, several Indian cricketers including Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, and Mayank Agarwal could not do much in the tournament.

Meanwhile, the former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has felt that the poor form of Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Mayank Agarwal was the most shocking thing for him. The former Indian player said that Mayank looked suffocated as the captaincy put pressure on him.

Mayank Agarwal was named captain of the PBKS side ahead of IPL 2022

To note, Mayank was named captain of the PBKS side after his former teammate and PBKS skipper KL Rahul joined hands with the new entrants Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). PBKS finished sixth on the points table after winning seven out of 14 encounters they played in IPL 2022.

“Mayank, I think if we talk about Agarwal, I thought to myself ‘What has happened to him? He is such a good player. After getting captaincy, I think it put pressure on him. From the opening, he went down to No. 4. He kept soaking everything. He looked suffocated. He should have been given freedom. He was under the radar and surely could have been a little better,” Harbhajan told SportsKeeda.

The PBKS skipper failed to ensure that his team reached the playoffs stage. The right-handed batter could only score 196 runs in 13 matches and also sacrificed his opening position for England batter Jonny Bairstow to open along with Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan.

Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh has also lauded Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga calling him a surprise package of IPL 2022.

“Wanindu Hasaranga became a match-winner after coming here. He was always a good bowler, we knew he was going to do well. But for me, he was the surprise package because the way he foxed the batters, he showed that he has the skills to succeed. It was fun to see him operate,” pointed out Harbhajan.