Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinner Shadab Jakati reflected on his stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and offered his opinion on what has kept the franchise from lifting an IPL championship. Jakati, was a vital part in CSK’s two championship-winning sides in 2010 and 2011, subsequently joined RCB in IPL 2014 but was relegated to the periphery, making only one appearance that year.
RCB has still not won an IPL trophy, despite having some of the biggest stars of world cricket in their side. The franchise has always relied on Virat Kohli and a few overseas superstars to carry their team. And as Jakati noted, this approach has failed to work.
Lack Of Team Bonding?
Comparing CSK with RCB, Jakati pointed to a drastic difference in team dynamics and mindset. While CSK fostered an excellent team culture and player well-being, RCB had most of their energy concentrated on merely two or three players, which, according to Jakati, was the principal reason why they could not lift the IPL.
One of the largest differences he observed at RCB was the absence of team bonding in the dressing room. As opposed to that, CSK’s management under MS Dhoni ensured each player felt important, and hence there was a strong sense of togetherness.
“2-3 Players Cannot Help Win The Trophy”
“It’s a team game. If you want to win trophies, the team needs to play like a unit. 2-3 players cannot help you win the trophy. Chennai had a strong group of Indian players and some decent foreign players. It is important to get your combination. When I was in RCB, they would focus on 2-3 players only,” Jakati told Sportskeeda.
Huge Difference In Dressing Room Atmosphere
“There was a huge difference as far as team management, dressing room atmosphere is concerned. Players were very good, but there was no camaraderie, the players did not gel properly,” Jakati added.
“As I said, the role of the team management is quite significant. Chennai’s management was very good actually. They looked after their players nicely. These are the small things which make a big difference. So, these are the differences I felt in CSK and RCB,” he added.
