The Punjab Kings simply cannot master their combinations. Before the season, they appointed captain Shikhar Dhawan and head coach Trevor Bayliss. However, things have not gone according to plan, and Punjab have struggled to gain momentum throughout the season despite having a relatively balanced team.
Shikhar Dhawan took over for Mayank Agarwal, and while he has been scoring runs, Punjab has lost games from positions of strength due to tactical errors. Shikhar Dhawan’s age is definitely on his side, and Punjab Kings may have to make some tough decisions as the season goes on. We examine three reasons why Shikhar Dhawan should not serve as captain of the Punjab Kings for the upcoming IPL season:
3) Age not on his side
Despite the fact that Shikhar Dhawan is as yet fit and terminating, Punjab will really do well to delegate a more youthful skipper and give him a long rope for at least four years. The franchise has not benefited in the least from constant captain changes, and this season is no exception.
After 11 matches, Punjab Lords are seventh and there have been a couple of games that might have gone one way or the other would do well to choices been made. Shikhar Dhawan is a nice guy, but he doesn’t naturally lead on the field, which may be one of the reasons he shouldn’t be captain of PBKS.
2) Batting with freedom
Shikhar Dhawan usually tries to drop anchor and bat long into the innings in a team full of stroke-makers. He starts slowly but eventually gets ahead, but in T20s, he can’t catch up. Without the weight of captaincy, he can bring down bowling assaults and be unrestrained in his methodology in what could be his last couple of years in the IPL.
Dhawan has demonstrated the way that he can adjust and change and assuming that the extra obligation of captaincy is removed, he can be a match-champ for Punjab. This year, Punjab hires Trevor Bayliss to replace Anil Kumble as head coach before the season starts. Additionally, they appointed Sunil Joshi as spin-bowling coach and reappointed Wasim Jaffer as batting coach. As a result, Punjab may require a new captain without any IPL experience.
1) Tactical mistakes made
This IPL season, Shikhar Dhawan hasn’t been at his tactical best. For example, in the last match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Harpreet Brar excused Jason Roy early yet didn’t come into the bowl until the end of the match. Dhawan did not trust his regular bowler because Liam Livingstone was expensive and only bowled a few overs.
Sikandar Raza has scored a goal in every match for the team, but he hasn’t played every game this season, which must be one of the most frustrating things for Punjab Kings fans. He hasn’t been able to use all of his bowling skills, and the opponents have been able to predict all of his moves easily. Punjab Kings may benefit from a new face in the upcoming season.