Weakness –
The Problem Of Choice – The Steven Smith-led side has a number of options in every department and it will be an onerous task for the skipper to pick suitable options and get the right combination. This problem of choice can also turn into a weakness.
New Skipper – Though the franchise has announced Steven Smith as the leader of the side well in advance but one cannot take out a captain from MS Dhoni. There might be a case in a game when we might see a Deja Vu of some moments of ODI series between India and England where we saw a fielder getting instructions from both Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. If this happens here as well, then we might see a clash of ego between the two skippers.
Foreign Players Leaving The Tournament Early – Their key players like Faf du Plessis and Ben Stokes will leave from the tournament early which will be a big blow for the team. Their absence will hurt them if they reach the next round of the league. This will really put this team in a deep trouble, and is a handicap for this team.
Poor Track Record – The team made a decent start in the league last year with a win over the defending champions, Mumbai Indians in the first game of the tournament but then came the moment when they faced a slump in form and could win only four out of 13 games they played.
The biggest disappointment was that MS Dhoni-led Pune lost both of the games against Gujarat Lions, as they lost to a team captained by Raina who has always played under Dhoni and it was surprising to see Raina overpowering Dhoni on both the occasions.
So, the past record of this team can have an effect on their psyche.