In the captain analysis series, here we take a look at the teams from the east and west corner of India. Rajasthan Royals lead by Australia’s Steve Smith and Kolkata Knight Riders lead by the talismanic Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Kartik for the upcoming season of IPL.
Rajasthan Royals management has decided to hand the captaincy responsibilities to Aussie batsman Steve Smith for the upcoming season of the IPL. Steve Smith who has lead the Australian Cricket Team for over 3 years between 2015-2018 has been touted as one of the greatest batsmen of the game.
Smith joined the Rajasthan Royals for $600,000 back in 2014. He also captained the Royals in the latter half of the 2015 season leading them in the play-offs. After moving around for the Rising Pune Super Giants as Rajasthan Royals served their 2-year ban, Smith returned to the Royals back in 2018.
With the Royals back from suspension, Smith was named captain of the RR team in Feb 2018. As the Sandpaper controversy hit, Smith stepped down from RR captaincy allowing Ajinkya Rahane to lead them in the 2018 season. BCCI also canceled Smith and Werner’s contract after the sandpaper controversy banning them to participate in the 2018 edition.
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Smith replaced Ajinkya Rahane as the captain of the Rajasthan Royals as Rahane’s team lost six out of the first eight matches in 2019. With a strong team under his belt, Steve will be looking to establish his reputation as a captain and a leader back. His Royals team consists of a varied combination of players available at his disposal.
From Delhi Daredevils to Kings 11 Punjab, Mumbai Indians to Royal Challengers Bangalore, the wicketkeeper from Tamilnadu has played cricket in every nook and corner of the country. Jumping teams and traveling across states, playing with different franchises across seasons, Dinesh Kartik has done it all and struggled hard to reach the level he is at right now.
Karthik joined the KKR camp back in 2018 after inconsistent spells at RCB and Gujrat Lions. With KKR losing their seasoned captain in Gautam Gambhir, the KKR management decided to hand the Indian wicket-keeper an opportunity to shoulder the responsibilities of captaincy.
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The Tamil-Nadu star who joined the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchisee for 7.4 crores in 2018, had a difficult task of captaining and operating a successful KKR side. Dinesh decided to play the role of a finisher for the then men in black and gold. He excelled at the opportunity presented to him by doing scoring fast quick runs down the order.
2018 bought good news and great form for the Tamil Nadu man as he was chosen to lead KKR and was bought at 7.4 crores ahead of the 2018 IPL. Karthik took upon the role of a finisher for his side and did justice to it with some solid scores down the order.
Dinesh Karthik lead the KKR team to 6 successful run chases during the 2018 season, ensuring them a spot in the playoffs. However, the Indian wicket-keeper couldn’t help his team through into the finals last year. With a strong team and star performers among the ranks this year Dinesh Kartik seems to be ready to put in that extra yard and ross every hurdle and fight for the trophy.
