The Indian Premier League 2024 is approaching its grand finale, with just two critical matches left. It contained two parts: a playoff and a final. In the second qualifier of IPL 2024 on May 24, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals will compete to become the candidate team to compete with Kolkata Knight Riders in the final match on Sunday.
Cricket fans have seen a major shift in captaincy throughout IPL franchises. Specifically in this season of the IPL, where there were dramatic changes, especially with the MI and CSK. However, history-rich though both teams are, they did not make it to the playoffs. CSK stood in fifth place on the points table at the end of the tournament, while MI was at the bottom.
Chennai Super Kings’ Transition In IPL 2024
Before the season opener, CSK made a major announcement: the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni would give up the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. This change was good and was accepted by the fans and people who were on the team. The switch was made relatively smoothly, according to CSK’s Chief Executive Officer, Kasi Viswanathan, due to effective planning and healthy debates within the organization.
The are issues we had in discussions with the team management even two years ago, when Ruturaj Gaikwad joined CSK and began to perform well. They suggested his potential as a suitable captain, MS had lengthy discussions with him, setting him up for the captaining role later on, “ Viswanathan said in a CSK.
Mumbai Indians’ Controversial Decision
The MI preferred Hardik Pandya to Rohit Sharma for the captaincy role, leading to controversies. During the opening matches, Hardik faced boos at the Wankhede Stadium. This decision drew a lot of controversy from the fans and the analysts, unlike the reception given to the change in CSK captaincy.
Viswanathan highlighted the non-interference policy as a guiding principle that gave Gaikwad confidence in leadership matters related to cricket. In his interview, he explained how Ruturaj was favored by the state of the CSK management, which never intervenes in matters that are cricket-related.
Easing out Gaikwad’s transition, Viswanathan focused on the backing from Dhoni and fans as key aspects. “Well, the task of taking the baton from MS Dhoni is a huge one indeed,” he said. “But I saw that MS was very confident that Ruturaj has it in him to do a good job, so the crowd reception really helped him,” he added.
Criticism from AB de Villiers
But AB de Villiers, in his past team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, had a bizarre view regarding this decision. He said that Dhoni was wrong to step down, taking it as a huge mistake. It is not about Gaikwad’s captaincy; he is a talented captain with the potential to be a better captain in the future,” declared de Villiers.
In the post-match presentation, De Villiers admitted that although CSK played superbly in many games, the team’s inability to make it to the playoffs was a big issue.
“They performed well in most of the games but failed to proceed to the knockout portion of the competition; it has nothing to do with Gaikwad’s leadership responsibilities. ”But then, when MS is present, he should be captain,” he concluded.
Since IPL 2024, Season 10, is coming to an end, leadership decisions have attracted much attention due to the consideration of the stakes and people’s passion for the IPL. The games that are installed for the next few days or weeks will be quite interesting, given the high levels of competitiveness among the teams.
This is especially true considering the strategic changes and leadership alterations that are likely to be recorded in the subsequent matches.
Also read: Jofra Archer’s Anticipated Strong Return: England Skipper Jos Buttler’s Measured Confidence
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