Steve Smith is no longer part of Rajasthan Royals as the franchise released the star batsman ahead of IPL 2021 auction. Smith was the backbone of RR’s batting line-up and also captained the franchise for many seasons. However, the star Aussie batsman had a disappointing IPL season in UAE and under his captaincy, RR failed to make the IPL playoffs.
The Rajasthan Royals has now decided not to retain Smith and brought an end to a long and successful association. The franchise thanked Smith for his service and also pointed out that he will always remain a Royal. Now, what next for Steve Smith in the IPL will franchise spend a substantial amount for him in the auction or he will remain unsold. Only time will tell that but in this feature, we look ahead at the 3 franchises who might target Smith in the IPL mini-auction in February.
3 Teams Who Can Target Steve Smith Ahead Of IPL 2021
1. Chennai Super Kings
The team that look the front runners to buy Steve Smith in the IPL auction is Chennai Super Kings. Smith is a kind of batsman that MS Dhoni would love to have in his franchise for the next IPL season. Smith is a consistent batsman that scores freely against both pace and spin in the middle overs.
CSK currently lack that kind of batsman, Smith will be an interesting addition in their setup. MS Dhoni and Smith played together in the 2016 and 2017 IPL season for RPS. The CSK management will be surely looking at Smith in the upcoming auction. Smith for CSK can bat at 4 and score consistently at a strike rate of 130-140 which the franchise lacked in UAE. On top of that, he’s a brilliant player of spin and will enjoy batting at CSK’s home ground at Chepauk.
Also Read: Chennai Super Kings Announce Retentions for IPL 2021
