IPL 2021: Steve Smith arrives in Mumbai to join Delhi Capitals
Former Australian captain Steve Smith has arrived in Mumbai to join his new IPL franchise, Delhi Capitals. After he was released by Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, Steve Smith was picked up by Delhi Capitals for INR 2.2 crore.
Taking to their official Instagram handle on Saturday, Delhi Capitals posted an image of Steve Smith from the iconic Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. The image shows the Australian posing in the backdrop of the world-famous Gateway of India.
Delhi Capitals captioned the picture:
“2 monumental icons in one frame. Welcome to the DC family, @steve_smith49 #YehHaiNayiDilli @tajmahalmumbai.”
Steve Smith will play under young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant this year. Pant was named the DC captain after regular skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to a shoulder injury which he picked up during the ODI series against England.
After he was purchased by Delhi Capitals at the IPL 2021 auction, Steve Smith said in a video message that he was looking forward to playing for his new team and help them win the title this year; DC finished runners up in IPL 2020.
"I am really excited about joining the team this year. I think the squad has a great set of players and has a great coach, and I look forward to getting over there and creating some amazing memories, and hopefully, help the team go one better than last year. Can't wait guys," Steve Smith said in a video shared by Delhi Capitals.
Steve Smith-led Rajasthan Royals finished last in IPL 2020
Steve Smith captained Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020 but endured a horror run with both the bat and as a leader. Rajasthan Royals finished at the bottom of the points table, with six wins and eight losses from 14 games, accumulating only 12 points.
With the bat, Steve Smith scored 311 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 131.22 and an average of 25.91. He started his IPL 2020 campaign with a couple of fifties but struggled for runs thereafter, getting dismissed multiple times while going for ugly hoicks.
The seasoned player will be hoping for a better season with Delhi Capitals, who have a highly impressive batting lineup.
DC squad for IPL 2021:
Rishabh Pant (wk) & (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings