What if MS Dhoni leads the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) side instead of Virat Kohli?

They are two of the biggest names in Indian cricket. They have been the two pillars of the Indian side in the last decade and are gladiators in their own right. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli are two icons who have steered the Indian side to great heights in their own inimitable ways. But then, as far as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is concerned, these two men have experienced contrasting fortunes.

While Dhoni has led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to as many as 3 IPL titles, Kohli has had a torrid time with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Kohli has been unable to inspire his side to even a single title victory as a leader, and that brings us to a very pertinent question. What if, MS Dhoni leads the Bangalore franchise?

More Backing of Players

One thing that has proved to be an important facet with Dhoni as a leader is his ability to back players to the hilt. In fact, both Rohit Sharma and Kohli himself received excellent support from Dhoni in their early days, and today they are two of the greatest batsmen of modern-day cricket.

Even with the Chennai Super Kings side, Dhoni has built a very strong ‘core’. The likes of Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Faf Du Plessis and Dhoni himself have spent a considerable amount of time with CSK, and are the pillars of strength for the franchise.

Also, during the 2018 IPL season, Shane Watson was not amongst the runs. After scoring a century against Rajasthan Royals (RR) earlier in the tournament, Watson was struggling with the willow. In the 10 subsequent innings that Watson played leading up to the final, he was dismissed for a score of less than 20 on six occasions. But Dhoni backed him, persisted with him in the starting XI, and when it mattered the most, Watson scored a century in the final to steer his side to an IPL title.

Dhoni’s captaincy is in stark contrast to the way Kohli likes to lead a side. The current Indian skipper keeps on constantly chopping and changing with the combination of his side. So, if Dhoni were to lead RCB, he would have focused on building a core team, something that would have been very handy for RCB.

Lesser pressure on Virat Kohli

In a high octane T20 tournament like the IPL, there is bound to be a lot of pressure. Also, when you are the premier batsman of the side and also have the additional responsibility of being the skipper, the pressure is bound to increase further.

And, there is no doubt that Kohli is the best batsman of the RCB side and leading the side means an additional responsibility that needs to be looked after. Now, if Dhoni were to lead the side, Kohli’s entire energy would be focused only on scoring runs by the bucketful and plundering bowling attacks. This would free up Kohli a lot.

There would be no need for Kohli to think about the playing combinations for every game and all the key bowling changes would be taken care by Dhoni. And this freedom that would be bestowed upon Kohli will be a blessing for RCB.

The best wicketkeeper and a master Finisher for RCB

When we take a look at the RCB squad, it is evident that they do not have a finisher who can take the match deep. Yes, they have pinch hitters like Moeen Ali and Chris Morris in their squad, but the addition of Dhoni will lend so much impetus to the side.

Without doubt, Dhoni is one of the greatest finishers ever in white-ball cricket, and adding him to the mix would lend more depth to the RCB side. There have been numerous instances where Dhoni has chased down targets with methodical brilliance and RCB would immensely benefit by having Dhoni in their batting line up.

Also, there is no doubt that his gloves continue to work magic behind the stumps. So, the addition of Dhoni will allow RCB to fill in the role of a finisher as well as have a world-class keeper in their arsenal.

In Conclusion

If Dhoni were to lead RCB, there are several benefits for the RCB side. The youngsters will receive a lot of backing and a core will be built. Kohli will get the freedom to express himself as a pure batsman, and RCB will a have world-class keeper and a finisher in their ranks.

But then, if you want to know whether Dhoni can lead RCB to that elusive IPL title, well, let us have that discussion on another day.

Note: All stats have been taken from Howstat cricket and iplT20.com and have been updated as on 4th August 2020