IPL 2019: Steve Smith will not lead Rajasthan Royals in upcoming season - Report

Smith who will be an integral member of the Australian World Cup squad might miss the final phase of the tournament and hence, the franchise would want Ajinkya Rahane to take up the leadership role.

After serving his ban, Steve Smith will be back for the Indian Premier League as will walk out for the Rajasthan Royals, but according to reports, he will not lead the franchise.

File picture of Steve Smith (HT File photo)

As per Mumbai Mirror, the BCCI will follow the regulations set by Cricket Australia, which has barred Smith from any leadership roles for the next 2 years.

Also, Smith who will be an integral member of the Australian World Cup squad might miss the final phase of the tournament and hence, the franchise would want Ajinkya Rahane to take up the leadership role for the entire season.

This also provides Rahane with an opportunity to stake a claim for a World Cup berth, as he is currently out of contention from India’s limited-overs plans. He led Rajasthan to the knockout stage of the tournament last year but went down to Kolkata Knight Riders.

“He’ll have learnt a lot through the episode, treat people as you want to be treated and things will probably work out pretty well. Everyone is happy with redemption so if he shows humility and good grace, scores lots of runs, time will do the rest,” outgoing CEO of Cricket New South Wales, Andrew Jones said about the former skipper.

“He’ll have learnt a lot through the episode, treat people as you want to be treated and things will probably work out pretty well. Everyone is happy with redemption so if he shows humility and good grace, scores lots of runs, time will do the rest,” he added.