Rising Pune Supergiant in IPL 2017 Preview: Steven Smith’s brigade hopes for injury-free ride and better fortunes
RPS in IPL 2017 Preview: Smith’s brigade hopes for injury-free ride and better fortunes
Every move backfires when a team hits a rough patch. Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) went through similar fortunes in their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign in 2016. While other newcomer Gujarat Lions (GL) made all the noises, MS Dhoni’s RPS could not replicate the same success in their first appearance. The Men in Purple were off colours, marred with injuries and found no ways of finishing off games. In a bid to turn the tables, Sanjiv Goenka-owned RPS have made several changes before IPL 2017 kicks off — with majority of them raising the eyebrows and making news for wrong reasons.
In Dhoni’s last international game as captain, he stated, “I’ll still be captaining in the IPL and maybe the Jharkhand team.” Forget his avid followers, the man himself did not know what future had in store for him. In the next few days, it was announced that Dhoni’s role would be restricted as a wicketkeeper-batsman in RPS’ second edition in the cash-rich league. The baton was passed onto Australia’s Steven Smith prior to the IPL auction. To add to this, superstition also played a part in ‘modern-day’ scenario. As a result, the camp will now be called Supergiant (instead of Supergiants).
Amidst the hullabaloo, RPS crossed the ‘auction-hurdle’ fairly well in Bengaluru. They caught hold of the most expensive buy, Ben Stokes, for a whopping INR 14.5 crores. Losing out on Mitchell Marsh due to injury, they picked up currently the best bowler in shorter formats, yet unsold player, Imran Tahir. With so many changes, RPS are already in news. However, they will be eager to make the headlines with staggering performances in IPL 10. Poor execution and inconsistency were their main follies in 2016, and RPS will start afresh in the upcoming season.
Change in leadership:
Cricket is a game wherein a team looks upon their leader. He, or she, picks the playing XI, resorts to Plan B (in case of Plan A’s failure), rotates the bowlers, remains proactive and gives the motivational talks when needed. Dhoni, a proven skipper, seemed out of sorts and eluded from his Midas touch in a forgettable season in 2016. Shifting gears from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had taken a psychological toll on the 35-year-old as he found minimal success in his new abode.
Nonetheless, it will be unfair to blame Dhoni for RPS’ lacklustre debut. Smith not only takes over a team striving for success, but will be calling the shots in presence of Dhoni. He will have to be proactive, churn out a settled line-up, use benched players judiciously and unearth domestic stars for precarious times. It is often noted that a side with smart domestic players add more value. This will be a litmus test for Smith. Of course, he will have the support of Dhoni. The cricketing arena witnessed Virat Kohli-Dhoni partnership in taking calls during the India-England ODI series. It will be interesting to see how Smith fits the bill in this equation.
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Team combination:
Top order: Ajinkya Rahane was in a hurry to finish off the formalities and regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2016-17 versus Australia at Dharamshala. His fiery knock (38 off 27 balls) gave enough signals to his counterpart and franchise captain, Smith, to entrust him with the opening slot. He will most likely be partnered by Usman Khawaja, who was called in as a replacement for injured Kevin Pietersen in the last edition. He did a decent job but could not convert his starts into anything significant. He will look to make the most of the opportunity after sitting out in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar trophy.
There is no point dwelling upon who will come at No. 3. Smith owns the position for his flamboyance in international circuit. Saurabh Tiwary made way for Manoj Tiwary for this season. Tiwary is a proven customer for his state side, Bengal, and has plenty of IPL experience as well. If he gets a look-in the initial games at 4, this will boost his confidence and prove fruitful for the side.
Middle and lower order: RPS’ strength lies in their middle order. Having the likes of Dhoni, Stokes and Faf duPlessis is enough to cause headache in the opposite camp. There is no official news of du Plessis’ participation, but having completed a long tour of New Zealand and an important England tour lined up for South Africa, he may not be available for most part of the tournament. However, Dhoni and Stokes, at No. 5 and 6 respectively, will look to flex their muscles and play according to situation.
There is not much firepower in RPS’ lower order. Rajat Bhatia, a prominent name in domestic circuit, has been retained by the side and will come in at No. 7 followed by the bowlers. Ravichandran Ashwin, Tahir, Ashoke Dinda and one of Jaydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur will fill up the leftover spots and look to contribute.
Bowlers: Dinda had a pleasant season with RPS in 2016; picking up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.57. Nonetheless, his economy went for a toss in the death overs. He will like to lead from the front along with left-arm pacer, Unadkat. The Saurashtra bowler was once hailed as the next big thing by legendary bowler, Wasim Akram. “This young kid is one to watch out for”, quoted Akram about the 25-year-old. He has earlier represented Delhi Daredevils (DD), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Unadkat will like to give valuable support to Dinda, Bhatia and Stokes. The English all-rounder will be loaded with responsibilities. He will like to live upto his humongous price tag and display the all-round skills for which he is widely regarded.
Stokes will add balance to the side with his death bowling whereas Bhatia will be another handy inclusion. He will curb the run flow in the middle overs with his medium pace and variations. In the spin arsenal, Ashwin, Tahir and Adam Zampa make up for a deadly trio. It will be hard to choose between Tahir and Zampa. However, the Australian may not make the cut, at least in the initial games, owing to Tahir’s current form and the limit on foreign players’ availability. Zampa, with best bowling figures (6 for 19) and the only five-for from the last edition, may have to be patient and wait for his chances. Smith may use Ashwin in the powerplays and employ Tahir in the last 10 overs.
Weakness: RPS leaked too many boundaries in the previous edition. They will like to overcome this barrier and put up a much better show with the ball. Their lower order does not inspire much, which will only add to Stokes’ responsibilities. They cannot rely too much on their premier player, who is destined to leave mid way owing to national duty.
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Bench strength: RPS had players who came and perished in a flash in IPL 9. Du Plessis, Pietersen, Marsh and a few others could not hold onto their spots due to injuries. The ones who replaced them remained far from impressive. This time around, they have a better back-up option. New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson (the right-arm pacer scalped his maiden ODI and T20I wicket in his first over) can be precious along with Shardul. Mumbai’s pace spearhead, Shardul has improved leaps and bounds and will give tough competition to Unadkat. RPS also have a substitute all-rounder in form of Australia’s Dan Christian, who may be used in the latter stages after Stokes’ departure. Nonetheless, Smith and co. will like to give him a run before Stokes’ unavailability, to keep him in the groove.
Christian was an integral part of former champions and now discarded Deccan Chargers (DC) in 2009 before moving onto RCB. His vast T20 experience can prove to be decisive. He can be an ideal replacement for RPS’ most valuable player, Stokes.
Promising domestic names: Mayank Agarwal’s biggest IPL moment came in 2013, donning RCB’s jersey. He smashed an awe-inspiring 30-ball 63 against Mumbai Indians (MI), comprising the likes of Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh and RP Singh. He has been a part of DD’s squad since 2014 before RPS instilled faith on the right-hander ahead of the forthcoming season. With a strike-rate of 124.48, Agarwal can be a vital cog in the middle order.
Madhya Pradesh’s Ankit Sharma can be introduced on surfaces assisting left-arm spinners. The opposition may find it difficult against him owing to his minimal appearances, forcing the management to give him a few games. Baba Aparajith is another promising all-rounder in RPS’ camp. His right-arm off breaks along with the ability to clear the ropes can keep RPS’ lower order in good stead.
Medium pacers Ishwar Pandey and Deepak Chahar also add to the pace battery. Pandey has an impressive IPL economy of 7.67 and will keep himself prepared if any opportunity comes his way.
Strategy: RPS have a formidable line-up. Nonetheless, they will like to keep their players in good shape throughout the mega event. Injuries ruined their chances in the last edition and the support staff will be wary of keeping the squad injury-free. Smith has a task to lift his team from much embarrassment in the previous season. He has two trump cards in form of Dhoni and Stokes. The former will assist him in quick decision making whereas Stokes will provide the much-needed balance.
However, the camp will like to keep an eye on the benched players as well. They will be needed in crunch times and will respond well if kept involved. On the other hand, domestic players treat IPL as a perfect launchpad for recognition and fame. Who knows what threats the likes of Sharma or Chahar can pose? The other teams know very less about such players, which add a certain mystery to their side. RPS did not work on this ploy in their maiden edition and will look to make amends and go the distance in the tenth edition.
RSP likely line-up (for initial stages): Ajinkya Rahane, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (c), Manoj Tiwary, MS Dhoni (wk), Ben Stokes, Rajat Bhatia, Ravichandran Ashwin, Imran Tahir, Ashok Dinda, Jaydev Unadkat/Shardul Thakur