Steve Smith axed as captain of Rajasthan Royals; Ajinkya Rahane to lead

Steve Smith, who lost the captaincy of the Australian cricket team after the ball-tempering controversy in the third Test against South Africa, has now been left out of the captaincy of Rajasthan Royals. IPL team Rajasthan Royals replaced Ajinkya Rahane as the team’s new captain.

In the case of tampering with the ball, the ICC imposed a fine of 100 percent on a Sunday in addition to the suspension of a Test match on Smith. While Bancroft who was the one caught on camera tampering the ball was fined 75 percent of the match fee.
In a statement released by the Rajasthan Royals franchise, Team’s Head of Cricket, Jubin Bharucha said, “We have been continuously in contact with Smith. Smith believes that in the current situation, the right decision would be leave the captaincy so that the team can start preparations for the IPL without any difficulty.

On Rahane being made captain, Zubin said, “Rahane has been a part of the team for a long time and he knows the team very well. We have no doubt that he will be a good captain for the team. “

BCCI executive secretary Amitabh Chaudhary said on Monday, “We are awaiting Cricket Australia’s decision. This is not just a case of tampering with the ball but it is a big issue related to ethics in the game. We have asked the IPL franchisees (Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad) to wait till the decision of the CA. “