IPL: Comparing the captaincy of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli
What's the story
The 12th edition of the IPL gets underway from Saturday, with the opener between holders Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The clash would also be interesting due to the intense rivalry between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. While Dhoni is the oldest captain this term, he has three titles under his belt, whereas, Kohli is yet to win the tournament.
Dominant Dhoni
Dhoni is the King among captains in IPL
Dhoni is undoubtedly the most successful skipper in the IPL, having played the most number of matches as the captain. Notably, he also has a higher winning percentage than Kohli. Of the 159 matches as captain, Dhoni has scripted 94 victories and 64 losses. As for Kohli, he has managed 44 wins and 47 losses of the 96 matches he has led so far.
Captaincy matters
Both excel with bat while leading the sides
Dhoni has led two IPL sides to date, while he has a better batting average of 41.96 as CSK skipper, and 31.89 as a player. At Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS), Dhoni had an average of 40.57 as skipper and 40.12 as a player. As for Kohli, of the 163 matches, he has an average of 46.05 as captain and just 26.96 as a player.
Titles and knockouts
Dhoni has three IPL titles, Kohli yet to lay hands
On nine occasions, Dhoni has led CSK to the knockouts, while it has played seven finals to date, and winning three. On the other hand, Kohli, after becoming a permanent captain in 2013, has led RCB to a single final, which they lost against SRH. Apart from IPL, Dhoni has also led CSK to the Champions League T20 (CLT20) win twice (2010 and 2014).
Decision-making
Dhoni's decision-making skills far better than Kohli
When it comes to decision-making, Dhoni is way ahead and far better as compared to Kohli. Kohli mostly utilizes his key bowlers by the 15th or 16th over, allowing him to rely on average bowlers at the death. As for Dhoni, he always saves the best for the last, even if the bowler is a rookie, which was evident during the 2007 World T20.
Next venture
What's next for Dhoni and Kohli?
For Dhoni, his next target would be to win the IPL title for the record fourth time and make himself, as well as CSK, the most dominant force in the tournament. Kohli, whereas, would be under pressure as this could very well be his last shot at the title as a skipper, having failed to do so in the previous eight editions.