Dubai: Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul lacks leadership quality, feels Ajay Jadeja following PBKS continuous struggle this season.
Dubai: Punjab has managed to win just 14 of the 25 games under Rahul's leadership so far. The team has finished sixth in the league stages in the last two IPL editions. Also, this season they are almost out of the Play-offs. They are currently placed fifth in the tally with 10 points.
“If you look at KL Rahul, he's been the captain of this team for the past two years, I never get the feeling that he's a 'leader'. Whenever this team has gone through a good phase or a bad phase, we never look at him. The team (PBKS playing XI) that's playing today, the changes that have been made, do you think KL Rahul would have made that?
“Someone becomes an Indian captain based on his philosophy because he should be a leader. I have not seen that in KL Rahul so far because he's very soft-spoken and adjusts to everything. If he becomes the captain one day, then it's a certainty he'll last the longest because a guy ready to adjust can stay longer in that position,” Jadeja was quoted as saying.
“But there are leadership qualities where whether I agree with his philosophy, the Indian captain should at least have one philosophy. Because there's a huge difference between the captaincy of an IPL team and the Indian team,” Jadeja added.
Jadeja further said that Rahul has the calmness like MS Dhoni but hasn't taken much responsibility on his shoulders during his stint as the Punjab captain.
The perennial under-achievers
2008 Semi-final (Lost to MI in semis)
2009 Knocked out in the group stage
2010 Knocked out in the group stage
2011 Knocked out in the group stage
2012 Knocked out in the group stage
2013 Knocked out in the group stage
2014 Runners-up (Lost to KKR in final)
2015 Knocked out in the group stage
2016 Knocked out in the group stage
2017 Knocked out in the group stage
2018 Knocked out in the group stage
2019 Knocked out in the group stage
2020 Knocked out in the group stage
“If you look at KL Rahul, he's been the captain of this team for the past two years, I never get the feeling that he's a leader. Whenever this team has gone through a good phase or a bad phase, we never look at him...”
— Ajay Jadeja
