IPL 2022: PBKS wanted to retain KL Rahul but respect his decision to enter auction, says Anil Kumble

Legendary leg-spinner and Punjab Kings coach Anil Kumble on Tuesday said the former finalists wanted to retain their former captain KL Rahul but they respect his decision to enter the auction pool ahead of IPL 2022.

Punjab Kings announced only 2 players for retention on the November 30 deadline and KL Rahul’s absence was certainly a surprise. PBKS retained Mayank Agarwal for Rs 14 crore and uncapped left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh for Rs 4 crore.

Speculation was rife that PBKS were negotiating with Rahul but the India opener wanted to move away from the franchise ahead of the mega auction.

IPL 2022 Retention: Highlights | Full List

KL Rahul can be picked by one of the two new teams as the Ahmedabad and Lucknow franchises have time until December 25 to name their choice of 3 players each. If Rahul doesn’t get picked by the two new teams, he will head to the mega auction wherein he will be a hot pick.

“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 said.

Rahul has been a consistent performer in the IPL, scoring more than 600 runs in three of the last four seasons of IPL. However, Rahul was not able to lead PBKS to the play-offs with the rest of the team failing to back their captain’s efforts with the bat on the field.

KUMBLE HINTS MAYANK COULD BE THE NEW PBKS CAPTAIN

Meanwhile, Kumble hinted that Mayank Agarwal might lead PBKS in IPL 2022 and heaped praise on young Arshdeep Singh, saying the left-arm pacer’s ability to handle pressure in crunch situations forced the franchise to retain him.

“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. Of course, he is again a potential leader. He has been around the IPL and international cricket for a long time,” Kumble added.

“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 for a long period of time,” he added.

PBKS will head into the mega auction with the biggest purse of Rs 72 crore after retaining only 2 players before the deadline.