"We wanted to retain KL Rahul, but he decided to go into the auction and we respect that decision" - Anil Kumble

Punjab Kings have announced their retentions ahead of the mega auction of IPL 2022. They have retained Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh for a sum of INR 14 and 4 crores respectively.

However, everyone had a question about KL Rahul's retention for the upcoming edition of the tournament. The head coach of the Punjab Kings Anil Kumble has thrown some clarification on that issue and shared some important things from their side.

The Karnataka born batsman joined the Punjab Kings during IPL 2018 and smashed 659 runs for the franchise during the season. After that, he always remained as the top-class player for the team and accumulated 593, 670 and 626 runs consecutively in every season for his team. Despite scoring runs, KL Rahul failed as a captain and couldn't live up to the reputation of the fans.

That’s one of the reasons we chose him: Anil Kumble

The head coach of Punjab Kings, Anil Kumble shared a few words about retaining the stylish batsman for IPL 2022. "Of course, the major challenge for us was Rahul. Obviously, we wanted to retain him.

That’s one of the reasons we chose him as captain 2 years ago, so he could be the core of the team. But he decided to go into the auction, we respect that decision. It’s the players’ prerogative," Anil Kumble was quoted as saying in India Today.

After that, the former Indian cricketer heaped praises for Mayank Agarwal and also stated that he might lead the side in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

Also Read: Andy Flower has decided to step down as Punjab Kings assistant coach

"I think when it comes to Mayank, the last 3 to 4 years, he has been with us, he has done exceptionally well for us. In the two years, I have been involved with the franchise, he has been very, very successful. He is again a potential leader. He has been around the IPL and international cricket for a long time," he added.

Arshdeep Singh was another player retained by Punjab Kings ahead of the mega auction of IPL 2022. In that case, Anil Kumble said, "Regarding Arshdeep Singh, he has someone who has come up in the last two years I have been involved in Punjab. He is only 21, to show that kind of maturity and temperament, we wanted to ensure he stayed with the franchise."