IPL 2018: Dinesh Karthik emerges as KKR's MS Dhoni

Both of them are wicket-keepers, both of them have been scoring with the bat in heaps, both of them are leading their respective teams from the front- the similarities between the roles MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik are playing for their franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the ongoing season keep piling up. So is Dinesh Karthik effectively doing an MS Dhoni for his side, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)?

The 2018 edition of the IPL has been an exciting tournament with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) having qualified for the finals in a resounding fashion. KKR haven’t been too far behind as they’ve performed consistently throughout the league to have gone into the second qualifier where they have to fight it out with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to make it to the finals.

Dinesh Karthik leading KKR from the front

According to the Moneyball Impact Index ranking, Karthik has emerged as the best player for his franchise and has also grabbed the eight spot in the overall impact rankings. The ranking has been decided based on his performances in the ongoing tournament, where he’s scored 490 runs in 14 outings along with some deft work behind the stumps that includes 13 catches, three stumping and a runout. Currently, Karthik holds 541 Impact Index points.

Karthik made his way into IPL 2018 with a big responsibility on his shoulders as he was appointed as the captain of the KKR when Gautam Gambhir decided to step down from the role. Gambhir, who has won the title for the side twice, was definitely going to leave a big void to be filled and Dinesh Karthik seems to have done that all too well.

The comparisons with MSD stem from the calm brand of captaincy that Karthik has shown throughout the tournament. Further, much like Dhoni has aided CSK with his sensational batting knocks and swift prowess behind the stumps, Karthik has fulfilled his role as a keeper-batsman all too well. His innings worth 52 runs off just 38 balls down the order was crucial in KKR overpowering the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first qualifier.

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