Retired MS Dhoni has performed better than Eoin Morgan: Gautam Gambhir on captaincy debate ahead of IPL final

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has given his take on the captaincy debate between MS Dhoni and Eoin Morgan ahead of the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 final between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Both Dhoni and Morgan have not had great seasons on the personal front and have underperformed despite their respective sides managing to make it to the summit clash of the tournament.

Dhoni and Morgan have been brilliant with their captaincy but have failed to deliver consistently with the bat. Dhoni, who retired from international cricket last year, has struggled to find his rhythm and has so far managed to score 114 runs in 15 matches this season. Morgan too has had an underwhelming season and has amassed only 129 runs in 15 matches.

However, they have both managed to inspire their respective sides into the final of the tournament and now stand a step away from clinching the elusive trophy. While sharing his views on the captaincy debate ahead of the IPL 2021 final, Gambhir said it will be wrong to compare Dhoni and Morgan as the CSK captain has already retired from international cricket and it's understood that he will struggle due to lack of regular game time.

Gambhir feels a retired Dhoni has performed well with the bat and as a captain that Morgan, who leads England in limited-overs cricket.

"Comparing their forms is very wrong in itself because MS Dhoni has retired from international cricket and the second player is the captain of his national team. You should not compare apples with oranges,"Gambhir said on ESPNCricinfo.

"MS Dhoni hasn't played international cricket for so long and it's acceptable if he's not in form or is contributing less. But on the other hand, Morgan is playing international cricket. Still, if you look at their performances, MS Dhoni has performed better than Morgan even with the bat," he added.

While CSK had a comfortable run to the playoffs, becoming the first team to seal a spot in the top this season, Morgan's KKR sparked a dramatic turnaround by winning five out of their seven games in the UAE leg to become the last team to enter playoffs.

KKR then got the better of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals to reach the final where they will be up against nine-time finalists CSK at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. It remains to be seen who will come out on top in the battle between Dhoni and Morgan.