Indian T20 League 2023: 3 players whom Hyderabad franchise should have picked over Mayank Agarwal

Hyderabad franchise built a strong squad after adding more quality players to their retained players list. However, they made headlines when they bought Mayank Agarwal for INR 8.25 Crores. The batter had a forgettable season for the Punjab franchise in the last edition of the Indian T20 League. He was the captain of the franchise also.

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In the 2022 Indian T20 League season, Mayank Agarwal scored 196 runs in 13 matches at an average of 16.33. He managed only one fifty throughout the season. His base price was INR 1 Crore. So, eyes were raised when the Hyderabad franchise paid such an amount for the batter. However, there were some players who could have been a better option for the franchise than the Karnataka batter.  

Here are three players whom the Hyderabad franchise should have picked instead of Mayank Agarwal:

Ajinkya Rahane

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Ajinkya Rahane (Image Source: Twitter)

This veteran batter has shown his class in the Indian T20 League over the years for different franchises. Ajinkya Rahane could have been a better option than Mayank Agarwal for the Hyderabad franchise. His base price was INR 50 Lakhs. But, the Chennai franchise showed interest and bought him for the base price only.

In his illustrative Indian T20 League career, Rahane has scored 4,074 runs in 158 matches at a strike rate of 120.68. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he has managed 585 runs in nine innings with two centuries and a fifty. Even, his leadership qualities with the batting abilities should have been enough for Hyderabad to consider over Mayank Agarwal.

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Narayan Jagadeesan

Narayan Jagadeesan (Image Source: Twitter)

This batter could have been a better option for the Hyderabad franchise instead of Mayank Agarwal. His base price was INR 20 Lakhs only. Narayan Jagadeesan was the highest run-scorer in the 2022-23 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 830 runs in eight matches, at an average of 138.33 and a strike rate of 125.37.

Eventually, the Kolkata franchise bought him for INR 90 Lakhs. Both Kolkata and Chennai got involved in the bidding war. But, Hyderabad showed no interest. Based on his recent performance in the domestic circuit, he could be a better option at the top order than Mayank Agarwal.  

Harpreet Singh Bhatia

Harpreet Singh Bhatia (Image Source: Twitter)

This player was another option that the Hyderabad franchise could have considered over Mayank Agarwal. Harpreet Singh Bhatia has been a terrific performance in the domestic arena. In the 2022-23 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 516 runs with two centuries and four fifties in seven matches at a strike rate of 94.33.  

Speaking about his career, he has scored 2,202 runs in 77 T20 matches at a strike rate of 124.54. His base price was INR 20 Lakhs only. Eventually, the Punjab franchise bought him for INR 40 Lakhs. Both Kolkata and Punjab got involved in the bidding war. Hence, his consistent performance should have been enough for Hyderabad to consider over Mayank Agarwal.