Simon Doull feels Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma should consider stepping down as captain in the Indian Premier League.
He emphasised that Virat Kohli took the correct decision by stepping down as Royal Challengers Bangalore captain. The cricketer turned commentator argued that because Sharma is also the captain of the Indian squad, he should search for ways to relieve some of the load on his shoulders.
“I was a big proponent of him [Virat Kohli] giving up the captaincy of RCB, much like I am with Rohit, now that he is the captain of India. I just think this is the tournament where he needs to be free and just play.”
While Mumbai have performed decently this season, Rohit Sharma has failed to find his rhythm with the bat. The senior opener has 257 runs in 13 innings and is averaging only 19.76.
In terms of Mumbai’s season, they have won seven of their thirteen matches and are now sixth in the rankings. Their net run rate is -0.128.
Simon Doull believes the Bangalore-based franchise would have obtained Kohli’s agreement before handing up the captaincy to Faf du Plessis, explaining:
“When I talked about Virat and the captaincy, it was like every pressure was on him. Indian captaincy, three formats, RCB captaincy, and just to see that taken away, and it was never going to go to someone who he wasn’t going to respect. So there are only two or three players in world cricket that could have gone to Bangalore and been captain.”
“They ended up buying Faf for good money. The case was already there, and it had to have his stamp of approval before they event went for him. So, he gives up the captaincy, he gives the stamp of approval, and they got Faf.”
RCB signed Faf du Plessis for 7 crore at the IPL mega-auction in 2022. He was named the new captain ahead of the 2022 season.
Simon Doull on RCB’s empty trophy cabinet
Despite having a number of great names in their lineups in the past, Bangalore has not yet won an IPL championship.
He said that failing to advance with star-studded squad is a disservice to the franchise. The 53-year-old stated that RCB fans would be hoping for their first championship triumph this time around.
“That’s [IPL trophy] that’s missing in Bangalore’s resume,” Doull added. “You look across the teams they’ve had and the players that have come and gone at that franchise, and to not have a title is a disservice to that franchise, to that uniform. When you see that sort of performance tonight, you wonder. Bangalore fans will wonder, is this the year?”
In the last league match of the season, Faf du Plessis and company will face the reigning champions Gujarat Titans. On Sunday, May 21, the match will be contested at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.