The notions about a captain are far too many. Some believe that a captain is as good as his team, while others say the skipper should lead by example. However, both cases reflect the important hat donned by a captain in his team and the difference it can create. Take the case of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The decision and individual skill displayed by a captain can have a huge impact on the outcome of the team.
Such was the case in the 53rd match of the IPL 2023 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Eden Gardens on Monday. Dhawan opted to bat on the pitch no.4 of the Eden Gardens, which was drier and played to the strength of the home side spinners. The decision was bold under the circumstances, but the southpaw was unperturbed by it. He went on to score 57 runs off 47 deliveries in a cautious knock but failed to find support from the other end, barring the 53-run stand with Jitesh Sharma for the fourth wicket.
Courtesy of the cautious knock from Dhawan, PBKS reached a total of 179/7 on a day when KKR mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy used his variations to the fore to return figures of 3/26. The total seemingly was not enough, but that can be attributed to Dhawan’s poor call at the toss, even though he tried to rescue his team’s ship with nine boundaries and one six.
In response, KKR openers Jason Roy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave the side a steady start. Before, captain Nitish Rana played a match-winning cameo of 51 runs off 38 deliveries to keep his side in the leather hunt. His innings was laced with six boundaries and one hit over the fence. His knock laid the foundation for a KKR win, as all-rounder Andre Russell and Rinku Singh, played superb cameos to help the side cross the line.
In the comparison between the two captains, it was the KKR captain who came out on top on Monday. However, the PBKS captain fetches INR 8,25,00,000 per season, while Rana makes INR 8,00,00,000 every season. The per-match fee for Dhawan is INR 58,92,857, while that of Rana is INR 57,14,285. The per-match fee for Dhawan and Rana is equivalent to the value of each six in the match. In this case, the value of each six from the bat of Dhawan is INR 1,78,572 more than that of Rana.
Statistically, Dhawan has accumulated 349 runs in eight appearances in the ongoing season of the IPL. He has batted at an average of 58.16 with a strike rate of 143.62 and has a high score of an unbeaten 99. Rana, meanwhile, has featured in all the matches for KKR this season, scoring 329 runs at an average of 29.63 in 11 matches.
The PBKS captain has hit a total of 10 sixes in the ongoing season, while Rana has banked on 19 so far. The value of the 10 sixes from Dhawan’s bat is INR 5,89,28,570, while the value of 19 sixes hit by Rana is INR 10,85,71,415.
