Priety Zinta franchise has appointed Mayank Agarwal as the new captain for the 15th season of IPL. The 31-year-old batsman takes over the captaincy from KL Rahul who heads the new entrant Lucknow Super Giants.

Taking charge, Mayank said, “ I have been at Punjab Kings since 2018 and I take a lot of pride in representing this fantastic unit. Kings Head Coach Anil Kumble said on the captaincy choice: “Mayank has been an integral part of the side since 2018 and of the leadership group for the last two years.”

“I take over this responsibility with utmost sincerity, but at the same time, I believe my job would be made easier with the talent we have at the Punjab Kings squad this season. We have some vastly experienced players in our ranks, along with many talented youngsters who are keen to grab the opportunity and run with it”, he added.

Mayank has been an integral part of the franchise since 2018. He also served as vice-captain of the team. He also captained the squad for one match after Skipper KL Rahul was ruled out following surgery last season.

The right-hand batsmen and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh were the only two players the Priety Zinta team retained ahead of the IPL 2002 mega auction. The uncapped Arshdeep cost Rs 4 crore, while Mayank was retained for Rs 12 crore.