Captain Steve Smith is likely to be released by the Rajasthan Royals.
The franchise will come on the final call shortly before submitting the final list of the released and retained players. BCCI has asked all the franchises to provide the final list of released players by January 21.
The strongest reason behind this decision is Smith’s poor form in the last season. Rajasthan Royals has not done well in the past under Smith’s leadership. Impact of Steve Smith as a leader and as a batsman has not been helpful to the team till now. The Australian batsman scored 311 runs in 14 matches ( average 25.91) with a strike rate of 131 which includes three half-centuries.
The previous season the franchise finished last at the end of the league stages. It is also understood that Royals desperately need a strong Indian core which they are lacking. The side is packed with the high rated overseas players. Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler are the prominent overseas names in the list.
If Smith is released the franchise, Royals will require a new captain. Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson is the notable name. Samson recently captained Kerala in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Sanju Samson was also the leading run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals in 2020 edition of Indian Premier League.
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