MS Dhoni replaced as Rising Pune Supergiants captain: 5 reasons why this move can backfire

When MS Dhoni stepped down as India's limited overs captain at the start of the year, it was perceived that the experienced skipper was giving way to his younger counterpart Virat Kohli, to facilitate him to build a team for future. But in the wildest of dreams no Indian fan would have thought that MSD would be removed as captain of Rising Pune Supergiants, just a day ahead of IPL 2017 auction. But that's how the brutal world associated to this cash-rich league works, where reputations go for a toss and franchise owners fail to give importance to the calibre of a person just because of one bad season.

Dhoni, who relinquished his position as Indian captain on his own, has been sacked for the very first time from the role which made him what he is today. It's true that the maverick leader couldn't repeat his Chennai Super Kings' exploits with Pune last year and ended up finishing seventh in the eight-team league, but the decision to bring in Steve Smith can backfire in more than one way.

1. Rapport with local players

Dhoni has played enough to earn respect of not only the Indians who have worn the national colours but also juniors like Ankush Bains, Ankit Sharma, Baba Aparajith and Deepak Chahar. These guys may find it difficult to adjust to Smith's leadership. The Australian has captained an IPL team (Rajasthan Royals) in the past but he may find it difficult to immediately establish a rapport with the uncapped Indians and that might prove to be vital at the end of this two-month league.

2. Negative impact on Smith's batting

By removing Dhoni as captain, the RPS owners have made it clear that they would not be satisfied with any average performance on the field. Smith who scored a century and was one of the bright sports of Pune's campaign in 2016, will have to deal with the constant pressure from the owners who will be keeping a close tab on the proceedings. It's not that the full time Australian skipper who scores runs and successfully leads his nation doesn't face these kind of situations, but IPL is a different ball game where the owners are more bothered about short term results instead of analysing the reasons behind a particular bad patch.

3. Smith will have very less idea about the strengths and weaknesses of Indian stars

Many a times Dhoni throws the new ball to Ravichandran Ashwin in the powerplays in T20s or uses him as an attacking option against batsmen while facing spin. By virtue of staying in the Indian cricket circuit for such a long time, he exactly knows how to get the best out of an Indian batsman or bowler. Smith on the other hand has to depend on the inputs from coaching stuff and MSD to eke out a situation in which his players would thrive.

4. The move may backfire if Smith doesn't fire with the bat

IPL rules facilitate each franchise to play just four foreigners and in case Smith doesn't hit the ground running as a batsman, he will turn out to be a burden on the team. With the current form that Smith is in, it's hard to predict a change in his fortune with the willow, but stranger things have happened in this league before.

5. Dhoni's experience in big matches 

The man who has won two IPLs and same number of Champions League titles can't be counted out when it comes those nail-biting semifinals and finals. Mahi's street smartness which is a deviation from the conventional captaincy skills make him the a clear winner on occasions where you have to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Standing behind the stumps, he will assist Smith just as he helps Kohli at the international stage, but it's a totally different thing to guide your own side in tough situations and to provide ideas to someone else.