Punjab Kings may have signed off IPL 2022 with a win but it was not a happy outing for their skipper Mayank Agarwal. Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Umran Malik celebrated his maiden call-up to the Indian T20 team with a searing bouncer to Agarwal which hit him flush on the ribs and floored him.


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Although Agarwal did manage to sneak in a leg-bye off that delivery, he soon ended up on the floor with immense pain. PBKS skipper was dismissed soon after, caught by Jagdeesha Suchith for 1 off Washington Sundar.


SRH tearaway Umran Malik, meanwhile, ended up with 1/24 against PBKS to finish with 22 wickets from 14 matches after the league stage. Agarwal, who was omitted from India’s squad for the Edgbaston Test against England to be held from July 1-5, had a painful welcome at the crease when he was hit on the ribcage by tearaway pacer Umran Malik.


“It’s going to be sore, going for an x-ray now. They never expected a no-ball, so he wasn’t ready. I asked him whether he was wearing protective gear,” said the right-handed batter.


Watch Umran Malik hit Mayank Agarwal with a bouncer here…



The win in their last league game after being out of running for the playoffs was something that Punjab were happy with after their inability to string consecutive wins in the tournament.


“We couldn’t stitch two back-to-back wins. We lost wickets in a cluster, and that at times derailed us. We have played an aggressive brand of cricket overall. We are going to sit and discuss now after the IPL. We were here to get two points and we were here to enjoy ourselves. We meant business and looked to execute things to the best of our ability,” said Agarwal after the match.


Asked about the positives for them, Agarwal had many to count on. “The way Livingstone batted, Dhawan played well. Bairstow since the time he started to open. If we go out there and play the kind of cricket we play, we can do well in the next season.”


(with IANS inputs)