3 reasons why Shikhar Dhawan shouldn't be PBKS' captain in the next IPL
Punjab Kings just cannot get their combinations right. They appointed Shikhar Dhawan as captain and Trevor Bayliss as head coach before the season. However, things have not gone according to plans and despite having a relatively balanced squad, Punjab have struggled to find momentum all season.
Shikhar Dhawan took over the reins from Mayank Agarwal and while he has been scoring runs, there have been tactical mistakes that have seen Punjab lose games from positions of strength. Age is definitely on Shikhar Dhawan’s side, and as another season passes by, Punjab Kings could well be forced to take some hard calls.
A hard-fought game but not enough in the end! 💔
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We take a look at three reasons why Shikhar Dhawan should not continue as Punjab Kings captain for next IPL season:
#3 Age not on his side
Although Shikhar Dhawan is still fit and firing, Punjab will do well to appoint a younger captain and give him a long rope for a minimum of four years. Constant chopping and changing captains has not helped the franchise one bit and this season too is following the same pattern.
After 11 matches, Punjab Kings are seventh and there have been a few games that could have gone either way had better decisions been made. Shikhar Dhawan is an amiable person, but leadership on the field does not come naturally to him and this could be one of the reasons he should step down as PBKS captain.
#2 Batting with freedom
In a side filled with stroke-makers, Shikhar Dhawan generally tries to drop anchor and bat deep into the innings. He starts slow and then catches up, but in T20s, there is no catching up. Without the burden of captaincy, he can take down bowling attacks and be unbridled in his approach in what could be his final few years in the IPL.
Dhawan has shown that he can adapt and adjust and if the additional responsibility of captaincy is taken away, he can be a match-winner for Punjab. Ahead of the season this year, Punjab ropes in Trevor Bayliss as head coach in place of Anil Kumble. They also reappointed Wasim Jaffer as batting coach and brought in Sunil Joshi as the spin-bowling coach. As such, a new captain without any baggage of the IPL could well be the spark Punjab needs.
#1 Tactical mistakes made
Shikhar Dhawan has not been at his tactical best this IPL season. For instance, in the last match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Harpreet Brar dismissed Jason Roy early but did not come into the bowl for the rest of the match. Liam Livingstone bowled a couple of overs and was expensive, but Dhawan did not trust his regular bowler.
Sikandar Raza has been a match-winner for the side, but he has not found a regular place in the side all season and this has to be one of the most infuriating bit for a Punjab Kings fan. He has not been able to use all his bowling resources and opposition sides have found it easy to predict all of his moves. A fresh face can bring in fresh ideas next season for Punjab Kings.