CHENNAI: Riddled with injuries, Rising Pune Supergiant had a forgettable maiden season. As fellow newcomers Gujarat Lions made all the noises, the men in purple were struggling to find a way to finish games. This year, the Sanjiv Goenka-owned team has made several changes. Ben Stokes was bought for a whopping Rs 14.50 crores, although he won't be available until midway owing to international duties. But RPS had raised eyebrows even before the auction.
MS Dhoni, who captained Chennai Super Kings to five finals and two titles, was unable to recreate the magic with RPS last year. The team finished second last, winning five and losing nine. Dhoni made 284 in 12 innings at a strike rate of 135, but it was the first time that a team led by him failed to make IPL playoffs.
In January, when he led India A against England, Dhoni suggested he wasn't done with captaincy and that he was still going to lead in IPL and domestic cricket. Little did he know what was in store, as the franchise appointed Steven Smith captain. While it is unfair to single out Dhoni for RPS's flop show, it could be a good move for both in the twilight of his career.
Ravichandran Ashwin's absence opens a lifeline for Aussie leg-spinner Adam Zampa, but Pune's problem is on the seaming front. Although Stokes and Daniel Christian can share the new ball, the rest are domestic pacers, other than unknown Kiwi Lockie Ferguson.
The erratic Ashok Dinda picked up 11 wickets last season when his economy went for a toss during death overs. Though they tried for T Natarajan, Nathu Singh and Basil Thampi, they had to be content with Jaydev Unadkat, who isn't the most reliable either. This gives a platform to Shardul Thakur. The Mumbai bowler has played 18 T20s for 21 wickets and an economy rate of 7.81. It remains to be seen how he does against top quality batsmen in this format.
With Stokes, Faf du Plessis is another international star who may not be available for most of the tournament, with an important England tour lined up for South Africa. Instead of losing sleep over missing players, Smith will try to keep the players in good shape.
He is not familiar with most of the domestic players and it's unclear if there would be traces of the bitterness that dominated the recent India-Australia series. Dhoni can help Smith ease into his new role. With Pune in their last year of the contract, it will be interesting to see how the captain leads a team striving to overcome disappointment.