Steve Smith given captaincy role in IPL
Former Australian skipper Steve Smith is back as captain of the Rajasthan Royals and will replace Ajinkya Rahane at the helm for the remainder of the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Rajasthan, the inaugural IPL champions in 2008, have just two wins from eight games this year. They are second last and only above Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eight-team league due to a better net run-rate.
"Rajasthan Royals will be led by the Australian batsman Steven Smith for the upcoming matches of the IPL," the team said in a statement on Saturday.
"Ajinkya Rahane did a fantastic job leading the team to the playoffs last year, however, the franchisee now thinks a fresh approach is needed to bring their 2019 campaign back on track.
"Steve has always been part of the leadership team within RR and Rahane will continue to be a key voice in the side, therefore the Royals see this as a small restructuring process to secure the results required to move up the table."
Smith, 29, will lead the side later on Saturday when the Royals host the Mumbai Indians in Jaipur.
He stepped down as captain of the IPL side last year and was later stood down for the entire 2018 tournament following the ball tampering scandal in South Africa.
