Mayank Agarwal was one of the star performers for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 2020 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE.
The right-handed opener had amassed 424 runs from 11 matches, including a century against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Sharjah.
With two weeks to go for the IPL 2021, Agarwal is fairly excited and looking to replicate the same performance in the upcoming season.
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"Playing for Punjab Kings is really nice. They have a very good environment and they make you feel at home whenever you come and play for them. Each player is assigned a certain role, we try to stick to that. And then, depends on the day who is batting well, whoever is striking the ball well, decides to take the team through to a good score or to chase down a target," he quoted as saying by ANI.
The highlight of Mayank’s stellar showing last year was his brilliant partnerships with skipper KL Rahul at the top of the innings.
"But I would not say that the team revolves around one or two batters. I think it's a collective effort and we try to look at it this way. Well, KL Rahul is terrific and it is amazing to be playing with him. This is the fourth year that we would be playing for Punjab and it is really nice. We understand each other's game, we gel really well. That communication on the field becomes a lot easier because of the friendship we have," he added.
Agarwal also spoke about his rapport with Chris Gayle over the years. Before playing together for Punjab, the duo had also shared the dressing room with each other at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
"Well, I think whichever team Chris Gayle plays for, he adds a lot of value, and the same goes for us. He is an important player for every team he plays for. That's one part of it, Chris is a very nice guy and he has a lot of fun. We have been playing with each other since RCB 2011, we know each other well, the relationship is very strong and funny with him. He is a person who loves to have a laugh, we make sure we train hard and during off-times, we make sure to have fun," he said.
"The most important thing for us will be to do well collectively, not just as a batting unit or a bowling unit. If we can bat and bowl well consistently together, I think that's when you win more games," he further remarked.
During the last year’s IPL, Punjab finished sixth in the standings despite a remarkable five-match winning streak as some of the close defeats at the start of the campaign came to haunt them.
"This team has whatever it takes to turn things around, but with that said, keeping the momentum and playing good cricket would be very important. We have seen that over a few years, our strength lies once we win a few games, we make it a cluster of a lot of wins together. It is fantastic to play under Anil Kumble (Director of Cricket Operations) and Wasim Jaffer (batting coach) with the wealth of knowledge they have.
"Anybody who needs any kind of help in terms of trying to understand the situation better or something regarding their personal games, they are always there to help. They are always there to guide you, same with others as well. Having Jonty Rhodes (fielding coach), Andy Flower (assistant coach) is amazing as well," Mayank said.
Commenting on the new additions such as Dawid Malan, Moises Henqirues, Riley Meredith, and Jhye Richardson, Agarwal said: "Really excited to play with them. I have played with Moises before, he is a lovely guy. With Jhye Richardson and Meredith coming in, we are going to have a lot more pace with us. Dawid Malan is the number one T20 batsman in the world, really excited to play alongside them."
