Ponting Reveals Real Differentiator Between Dhoni And Other IPL Captains

Ricky Ponting, a great captain himself, revealed the biggest differentiator between MS Dhoni and other IPL captains. However, Dhoni has not led any side since the end of IPL 2023, when he handed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) their fifth IPL title. 

Talking about how cricket is going like football in terms of coaches taking to the boundary ropes and giving advice to the players all the time, Ponting, on Indian Express’ Ideas Exchange, said, “It’s rare that an on-field captain doesn’t seek advice from the dugout. Dhoni may be the only one in the IPL who doesn’t do that.”

Talking about how he uses practice with his current team, Punjab Kings, Ponting gave the example of introducing Vijyakumar Vyshak as an impact player in their first game against Gujarat Titans.  

“Even in our first game, there was lots of advice going to Shreyas, and he was asking questions about what the game needed. A prime example is how we used our impact player in the first game with Vyshak (Vijaykumar) coming in as late as he did. There was a lot of tactical planning behind that. We had three guys ready: two spin bowlers and Vyshak,” he said. 

“We waited for the right time to bring our impact player into play. It depended on what Gujarat Titans were doing as well. We kept an eye on their dugout, waiting to see if they’d use Rutherford or Glenn Phillips as their impact player. Once they made their choice, it was clear to us which way we should go,” added the former Australia captain.