Is Dhoni Not Interested in Playing for RPS After Seeing the Last Match's Performance?

The India team’s captain, Dhoni, has often benefited from a strong supporting cast, leading to an unprecedented string of successes. However, his tenure as the captain of the RPS (Royal Pun Natasha, a fictional team) in the IPL (Indian Premier League) posed a challenge. This challenge was compounded by the 2019 World T20, which concluded just six days before the IPL commenced. The IPL involves 60 matches divided into a double round-robin format, with each team playing at least 14 matches over a period of two months during the Indian summer season. The tournament’s intensity, coupled with frequent travel, makes it a crucial period for national team players. Leading up to the IPL, Dhoni's team faced significant challenges.

Intense IPL Schedule and Player Fatigue

The IPL schedule is intense, featuring high-intensity games spread over a long period. Rest and recovery are often sidelined, making it a challenging and sometimes tad inconsequential tournament for players already in the national team. The entertainment-driven audience, rather than the cricket-loving audience, fuels the tournament's popularity, causing more harm than good according to some stakeholders.

So, why did Dhoni lead the RPS through this challenging tournament? One cannot blame him for his decisions. In the case of MS Dhoni, he has always been a captain of a good team but not necessarily a captain for everyone. The team he led in the 2019 IPL was unbalanced, lacking the luxury of versatile or all-rounder players like Watson, Bravo, Faulkner, or Russell.

Evaluating the RPS Team

The RPS bowling attack was weak, focusing on players like RP Singh and Ishanth Sharma, who had limited IPL experience. The third bowler was recovering from injury, adding to the team's bowling problems. The batting lineup was equally troubling, with inconsistent performances. Dhoni's team relied on a good start to their innings, which often faltered, leading to reliance on players like Pieterson, who seemed sluggish, and Steve, who had gone through a bad patch.

The middle order was also inexperienced, which added to the overall inconsistency. Despite these challenges, Dhoni tried his best to manage the team. There was nothing to criticize his efforts, at least from my perspective.

Conclusion and Advice

Before jumping to the conclusion that Dhoni is disinterested in the RPS, consider the following:

Give the team a rock-solid batting order or a perfect bowling parade. Or a team that can flourish in all three departments, like KKR. Understand that RPS lacked the luxury of having a versatile or all-rounder player.

By giving the team the right players and conditions, Dhoni would have been in a better position to lead effectively. Until then, it's essential to give credit where it's due in terms of effort and management.