Former India player Sanjay Manjrekar has hoped that one day, Mayank Agarwal will find his way to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise under the guidance of great MS Dhoni after another underwhelming performance in the recent IPL 2023.
Mayank Agarwal who was released by Punjab Kings before Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bought him for a whopping Rs 8.25 crore last December. In 10 innings during the ongoing IPL 2023 season, Agarwal scored 270 runs at an average of 27 and a below-par strike rate of 128.57.
Sunrisers Hyderabad finished at the bottom of the standings with a host of their stars not able to justify the big bucks the franchise splurged on securing their services.
But in the final league game for SRH, Mayank showed a glimpse of his old self scoring a 46-ball 83 - his only half-century of the season.
It helped SRH post 200/5 but Cameron Green’s maiden century and Rohit Sharma’s fine half-century helped MI chase it down in just 18 overs.
Former India cricketer and now a popular commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Agarwal could revive his career with a move to four-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings.
“My heart goes out to Mayank Agarwal. India player, a class player but has just lost his way in the IPL playing for different franchises over the years. Was thrust with the responsibility of captaincy and it just put him off a little bit.
Just hoping and praying that someday he will come into the CSK because if he is there in that culture, he is going to flourish. MS Dhoni wants players like him, batters like him who think team first. He is a pure heart and an exceptional player," Manjrekar told Star Sports.
He was referring to CSK captain MS Dhoni’s recent comments on the qualities the franchise looks for in a player.
“I think we need to figure out and pick players who are team first - not bothered about individual performance and perform the best at knockout stages. It is difficult to judge from the outside, we try and adjust to the players and environment as well. Even if they come 10%, we can adjust 50% to fit them better into the team," Dhoni had said after CSK’s clinical win over Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
