"I can't see a player on the team list that can captain this team effectively and efficiently" - Brad Hogg on MS Dhoni's successor at CSKΒ
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg pointed to the lack of quality captaincy options in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad at the moment. The franchise appointed Ravindra Jadeja as the skipper right before the start of IPL 2022. However, following CSK's poor start to the campaign, the all-rounder stepped down, handing the captaincy reins back to MS Dhoni.
Chennai were not among the franchises who were on the lookout for a new captain at the IPL mega auction in February. The defending champions primarily focused on reacquiring their former players as well as recruiting promising youth players.
Opining that finding an Indian option to lead the CSK team will be very difficult, Hogg said on his YouTube channel:
"Who is going to take over from MS Dhoni at the end of this year? I can't see a player on CSK's team list that can captain this team effectively and efficiently. They will have to go to the auction next year to find a player of captaining ability, and try to find an Indian to do the job is going to be hard because all the best Indian T20 players have already been assigned to other franchises."
Hogg noted that finding an overseas captaincy option might be the only way out, adding:
"They will have to go to an international player. It will be difficult to find a player that will fit in to the balance and the game plan that CSK already have in place."
It is still unclear in what capacity Dhoni will be part of CSK in the upcoming editions of the IPL.
View the IPL 2022 timetable here.
"You have to take the pressure away from him" - Brad Hogg on Ravindra Jadeja
One of the glaring aspects of Jadeja's short reign as captain was his own lackluster performances. The all-rounder has been far from his best across all departments in IPL 2022. His usual reliant fielding also suffered due to the load of captaincy as he began dropping catches as well.
Noting that Jadeja is a different kind of a leader in the CSK contingent, Hogg said:
"He is one of the best all-rounders in the world, and he is the centerpiece of CSK's lineup, so you have to take the pressure away from him. We have learned that Jadeja is not right for the role, but he is a leader in his own right. Sometimes you lead in different ways, so MS Dhoni had to take over the role."
Jadeja put in a tight spell of 0/15 from three overs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in his first game after relinquishing the captaincy. The star all-rounder will hope to do more of the same when CSK face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Wednesday, 4 May.