IPL 2022 Auction: 3 reasons why Dinesh Karthik must be the next RCB captain

IPL 2022 will see veteran wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik return to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Having plied his trade for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for four seasons, Karthik was picked up by RCB at the IPL 2022 Auction in Bengaluru.

Karthik is no stranger to RCB, having turned out for the franchise back in 2015. The Bangalore franchise shelled out a whopping ₹ 10.5 crore to acquire him back then. However, this time Karthik was acquired for a sum of ₹ 5.5 crore at the IPL 2022 Auction.

Dinesh Karthik - RCB's captain for IPL 2022?

With Virat Kohli having relinquished his captaincy duties, RCB are on the lookout for a new skipper ahead of the 2022 season. Glenn Maxwell and new recruit Faf du Plessis are some of the names doing the rounds. Dinesh Karthik is another likely candidate to don the captaincy hat.

We take a look at three reasons why Karthik is the ideal choice to captain the Royal Challengers in IPL 2022:

#3 Karthik's captaincy experience in the IPL

Dinesh Karthik has led Kolkata Knight Riders with decent success in the IPL (Picture credits: IPL).

Dinesh Karthik has had a tryst with captaincy in the IPL with Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). At the latter in particular, Karthik enjoyed decent success, leading a wafer-thin squad to the playoffs in 2018.

KKR did well in the first half of the 2020 season as well, winning four out of seven games. Karthik then handed over the baton to Eoin Morgan, though, citing the need to focus on his batting.

Given his prior experience in the league, coupled with his success as skipper of Tamil Nadu over the years, Karthik fits the bill as the ideal candidate. With RCB looking to find a suitable successor for the highly experienced Virat Kohli, Karthik could take to the role like a duck to water.

---

#2 Availability for the whole season

With Glenn Maxwell set to miss the first few games, the Challengers would be better served with a permanent leader for the entirety of IPL 2022 (Picture credits: IPL).

Of course, being an Indian player, there is no question mark over Dinesh Karthik's availability for IPL 2022. However, this factor becomes critical with regards to one of their key players, Glenn Maxwell.

Maxwell has been rested from Australia's white ball leg of the Pakistan tour. However, given Cricket Australia's policy that contracted players cannot partake in other leagues while an international series is on, he won't be available until April 6.

Maxwell, one of the first names in RCB XI, is a favorite to take over as skipper. But it wouldn't be wise for the franchise to go down that path. A stop-gap arrangement before handing it over to Maxwell once he arrives isn't the ideal route. The team would've likely played at least three games by then.

Thus, having Karthik as captain will ensure that one man is at the helm of affairs for the entirety of IPL 2022. It might just allow Maxwell to play without any burden and get the best out of him, similar to how he lit up the previous edition.

---

#1 Indian captaincy option

It's always ideal to have an Indian captain at the helm of an IPL team. Take Eoin Morgan's case with KKR last year. Despite his dwindling returns with the bat, the franchise couldn't afford to replace him in the XI.

An overseas captain, if not in the best of form, cripples the team's flexibility to play around with its combination. Thus, with a bona fide name in Karthik available, RCB would be better served to look towards him as the captain.

Of course, there could be a valid argument that Karthik isn't really a long-term option, given that he's in the last leg of his career. That said, handing the captaincy to one of the younger players in the side could prove to be a massive gamble.

Even if it is a stop-gap arrangement, an Indian option would serve RCB's immediate requirements for IPL 2022 better than an overseas option. Karthik is their best choice in that regard and should be the ideal candidate to take over the baton from Virat Kohli.