"Hopefully the team will go one better than last year"- Steve Smith on his Delhi Capitals stint
Steve Smith is excited to join the Delhi Capitals (DC) for the IPL 2021 season. The Australian star batsman was picked up by the franchise in the IPL 2021 auction at an absolute bargain price of INR 2.2 crore.
In a video posted on DC's official Instagram account, Steve Smith expressed his eagerness to help the IPL 2020 finalists go one better under compatriot Ricky Ponting. He said in this regard:
"I am really excited about joining the team this year. I think it is a great squad of players, a great coach, and I am looking forward to get there and create some amazing memories. Hopefully will help the team go one better than last year."
What does Steve Smith bring to the DC side?
Although there is no doubt that Steve Smith is one of the greatest modern-day batsmen, T20 cricket is not something he has always been able to master. His numbers in the shortest format of the game are nowhere near as good as those in the other two.
The former Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain had a poor IPL 2020 season by his staggering standards. He scored only 311 runs in 14 games and failed to lead his team to the playoffs.
The RR franchise then made a bold decision to let their talisman leave. While that raised a few eyebrows, it was surprising that a top-heavy side like DC secured his services.
With the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Marcus Stoinis vying for a place in the playing XI, Steve Smith could face a tall task breaking into the team.
However, DC lacked big-match players last season, unlike eventual champions Mumbai Indians (MI). Thus, Steve Smith is a player who could don that role for the franchise.
It will be interesting to see what kind of role the Australian superstar is assigned by the DC thinktank. Nevertheless, Steve Smith will be determined to prove his mettle in the shortest format of the game ahead of the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in India this year.