IPL 2019: RCB's strongest playing XI if MS Dhoni was the captain

When we talk about great captains, some of the names that definitely pop in the discussion are – Ricky Ponting, Clive Lloyd, Graeme Smith, Arjuna Ranatunga, Steve Waugh, Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly and of course, MS Dhoni. From nurturing youngsters to superstars and escalating the standard of their nation’s cricket, these captains will always remain in the hearts of fans.

At this point in time, someone who desperately needs a captain who can bring the best out of a limited squad are the Royal Challengers Bangalore. They slumped to new lows on Saturday with the team losing their fifth match on the trot this season. Skipper Virat Kohli was left awestruck out of heartbreak as Andre Russell powered KKR to an improbable win. 

Is there something wrong with the team management or the captain? This definitely cannot be bad luck considering how many times the story has repeated over the years. We tried analyzing how MS Dhoni would’ve used the resources he has at disposal right now and here’s the XI we thougt the 2011 WorldCup-winningg captain would plan.

1. Marcus Stoinis

One of the most important things MS Dhoni would resort is the opening combination, which looks pretty pale with Parthiv Patel opening. Dhoni always prefers cricketers with experience at the top in this format, regardless of how much they have played in that position. The case of Ambati Rayudu was a classic example.

Marcus Stoinis could earn a promotion if the Indian legend were to take up duties. Stoinis has opened the innings for the Melbourne Stars previously and is a pretty high-rated batting all-rounder. MSD always believes the best batters in the team should play the most number of deliveries and hence, he could be right up there.

2. Virat Kohli

A player who has grown from a boy to man under MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli will continue to be RCB’s most important player, no matter who the captain is. Arguably the greatest player of this generation among all generations, he is also the highest run-scorer in IPL history and also has over 2,000 IPL runs as an opener.

Kohli opening the innings would give his side a great edge in various departments and most importantly, Dhoni himself can bat at his favored number 4 position. The current Indian skipper and former Indian skipper have been quite a duo over the years and they always work together brilliantly for their team’s betterment. RCB fans would love the sight of MSD and VK together for sure.

3. AB de Villiers

Watching the 37-year-old Jharkhand cricketer over the years, one thing is clear, he is a great admirer of experienced cricketers. If he really has someone like AB de Villiers in the side, no matter how old he is, how bad his form is, Dhoni will play him all the 14 games or more to make him realize he trusts him.

The South African stalwart has been there and done it at the highest level. He needs no special focus to enrage the fuel in him, that he can do by himself. The world is aware of what he can inflict ones he gets going and Dhoni is not the kind of a captain who would keep such high-impact players on the bench.

4. MS Dhoni (c) (wk)

Under MSD, only the top three positions are fixed and after that, they are subject to change according to the circumstances. Not many captains over the years have done the shuffling business as smoothly as he did, but if he gets a chance, he wouldn’t back out from promoting himself at number 4.

He likes taking a lot of time before going berserk these days and for that strategy to work, number 4 is pretty ideal. Just the way it worked so well against Rajasthan Royals, Dhoni could be found at number 4 most of the times given the team is not in a good position.

5. Shimron Hetmyer

One of the few Indian cricketers who has witnessed the exploits of Shimron Hetmyer from the best possible seat is MS Dhoni. The young Guyanese smashed a 78-ball 106 and a 64-ball 94 in the first two ODIs against India, where MS, much like the other fielders, was a mere spectator.

Hetmyer is not off to an ideal start in his IPL career and currently finds himself on the bench. Yet, the former Indian skipper, who in the past has shown great faith towards such explosive cricketers, might play him for another 2-3 matches. Hetmyer certainly possesses the ability to finish off a game in a span of 25-30 balls but he just needs to find that opening to get going.

6. Shivam Dube

A talented Mumbai cricketer who has done tremendously well in the domestic circuit. Dube can also chip in with his medium pace when needed, but Dhoni would prefer using him as a finisher. The 25-year-old in the past has done it very well for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

In the Ranji Trophy too, his exploits caught a lot of attention. He hit five sixes in a single over against Baroda and finished as Mumbai’s highest wicket-taker. He is yet to get a good chance to prove himself at this franchise, but under MSD, most youngsters get ample chances to prove themselves.

7. Washington Sundar

A talented spinner who made his debut almost a couple of years back, Washington Sundar currently finds himself only on the bench. Sundar bowls pretty quick and straight, doesn’t rely on a lot of variations. One of the best things he does is restrict the run flow with his tight lines.

Restricting run flows in these conditions is so important for any team. At the Chinnaswamy, people often concede a lot of runs and to have a player like him in the squad will always be a huge bonus. MSD will be using him a lot more than Kohli is doing right now.

8. Tim Southee

The Kiwi cricketer took some beating at the hands of Andre Russell, but Tim Southee over the years has been a class act in all formats. Southee has the experience of playing under MS Dhoni during their time together at the Chennai Super Kings. He could definitely vouch for that at this franchise.

We often see MSD using one of his bowlers bowl all his four overs in the first 10 overs and Southee, considering how good he is with the new ball and how bad he is at the death, might prefer using him that way. He usually bowls the most difficult overs for club and country, yet has a decent economy of 8.34, which speaks for his talent.

9. Umesh Yadav

Another cricketer who qualifies under the experienced quota under MSD is Umesh Yadav. Just like Kohli, Umesh Yadav too has grown in stature as a cricketer under the great man. Dhoni too has placed a lot of trust on him over the years and might go for him in the death overs.

Although he conceded too many runs, Umesh can fool a lot of batters with the extra pace he has. He might not be the best at bowling yorkers, but he works well when there’s a set plan to bowl. Dhoni often has a plethora of such plans towards the end and in that regard, Umesh could be a very useful player under him.

10. Navdeep Saini

One of the few youngsters in the country who could bowl above 145 kph with ease, Navdeep Saini’s brilliant talent is going unnoticed with RCB performing so badly. If he had been playing for some other franchise, there would’ve been a lot of talk about him and the bright future he has.

Saini’s extra pace could be lethal at any point. Just the way he makes Shardul Thakur bowl some of the toughest overs in CSK, MSD could use Navdeep Saini’s great talent in the death overs. If a captain of MSD’s caliber is showing trust on him, any cricketer would get extra motivation to push the extra yard.

11. Yuzvendra Chahal

Without a shadow of a doubt, Yuzvendra Chahal loves having MS Dhoni keep wickets when he is bowling. The little things that Dhoni provides to him have played a crucial role in his rise over the years. Now he might be one of the best spinners in the world, but he still has a lot of things to prove to be considered the best.

Going by this playing XI, Chahal clearly would be the most important bowler. Dhoni always bowls his X-Factor bowlers when the going gets tough and it will be interesting to see how he responds to such a challenge. There ain’t many changes in this XI, but having Dhoni at the helm is a completely different dynamic.

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