The team owners have taken a massive call to replace one of the most successful captains of IPL, MS Dhoni with current Australian skipper Steve Smith. However, the bold move can help the struggling franchise gather some early momentum as Smith is in the form of his life, which will help him as a captain while Dhoni can solely focus on his batting and add lethal edge to his team.
The team owners have taken a massive call to replace one of the most successful captains of IPL, MS Dhoni with current Australian skipper Steve Smith. However, the bold move can help the struggling franchise gather some early momentum as Smith is in the form of his life, which will help him as a captain while Dhoni can solely focus on his batting and add lethal edge to his team.
Presence of big stars like Ben Stokes and Faf du Plessis, provides much needed solidarity to the franchise.
1. MS Dhoni
When it comes to shorter formats of the game, there is no better middle order batsman than Dhoni. He can fully concentrate on his batting with no captaincy pressure to deal with.
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2. Ajinkya Rahane
The Mumbaikar has time and again proved that conventional batting technique can also come in handy in T20 cricket. Rahane being a free-flowing run getter at the opener's slot is vital to Pune's title aspirations.
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3. Ben Stokes
Acquired for a whopping sum of Rs 14.5 crore, Stokes is the perfect remedy for Pune's weak bowling line-up. Add to that his impressive batting skills and the Englishman becomes one of the most dangerous players of the league.
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4. Steve Smith
At this moment, Steve Smith can do nothing wrong with the willow. He is scoring heavily in all three formats and not to forget, he is the only batsman who has scored a century for RPS in the last season. The captainship skills of Smith will be put to test but he looks very focused and is quite sorted about his role in the team, which makes him a dangerous prospect
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5. Adam Zampa