Ajinkya Rahane has been stripped off from his role as captain by team Rajasthan, with Steve Smith being appointed as the new skipper, the Indian T20 League franchise confirmed on Saturday.
Smith, who returned from his year-long ban following the ball-tampering incident against South Africa captained Rajasthan against team Mumbai on Saturday and the Aussie’s 48-ball 59 helped his side registering the third victory of the tournament.
Under Rahane, Rajasthan won just two of their eight fixtures. Speaking about the decision, a statement from the team read, "Ajinkya Rahane did a fantastic job in leading the team to the playoffs 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 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."
Zubin Bharucha, Head of Cricket for Rajasthan Royals, added, "Ajinkya is and will always be a true Royal. He led the team to the playoffs in 2018 in a very challenging scenario and that will go down as one of the great comebacks of the IPL. He remains a key part of our side and leadership team and will extend support wherever required to Steve."
"Steve is one of the most innovative and successful captains in the world, in all formats of the game. We are confident he can lead the Royals to success."
Meanwhile, Rajasthan’s season is set to go from bad to worse as the likes of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer are expected to be unavailable from April 25, owing to their international commitment. Jos Buttler, on the other hand, has reportedly flown back to England to be with his wife as the couple is expecting their first child.
Furthermore, Smith, who is a part of Australia’s World Cup squad, himself will depart by May 1 for the tournament’s preparation, leaving Rajasthan devoid of option for the rest of the season. Following their departure, Rahane will be expected to be named as captain again.
