Steve Smith has been named Rajasthan Royals’ captain for the rest of the IPL season following the sacking of Ajinkya Rahane. Rajasthan made the decision to demote Rahane with the franchise winning just two of their eight Indian Premier League matches this year and appoint former skipper Smith, who stood down following his year-long ban for ball tampering.
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The Australian will be in charge until he leaves the IPL on May 1 to join Australia’s squad for their World Cup preparations, meaning a new captain will be required for any fixtures after that date. Confirming the captain change in a statement on Saturday, the Royals said: “Ajinkya Rahane did a fantastic job in leading the team to the play-offs last year.
However, the franchise now thinks a fresh approach is needed to bring their 2019 campaign back on track. “Steve has always been part of the leadership team 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.”
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