Reports: Rajasthan Royals sack Steve Smith as captain

The Australian Skipper, Steve Smith has come under heavy criticism after he admitted to change the conditions of the ball.

The Australian Skipper has admitted to charges of ball tampering during the third day of the third Test match at Newlands against South Africa on Saturday.

Reports suggest that Rajasthan Royals have decided to sack him as captain of their franchise due to his wrongdoings.

The incident shocked the cricket world when batsman Cameron Bancroft was caught rubbing the ball with a yellow coloured tape.

After getting caught on screen, the Australian coach Darren Lehmann  was seen talking to substitute player, Peter Handscomb over the walkie-talkie.

Handscomb then went onto the field and instructed Bancroft to hide the yellow tape in his trousers.

Steve Smith and batsman Cameron Bancroft later admitted to altering the condition of the ball and conceded that it was all a ‘premeditated plan’.

“The leadership group knew about it. We spoke about it at lunch,” he said.

“I am not proud of what’s happened. It’s not within the spirit of the game. My integrity, the team’s integrity, and the leadership group’s integrity have come into question. It won’t happen again.” he added.

Just about last month, Steve Smith was declared as the captain of Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming IPL season. Smith was also the part of Rajasthan Royals team in 2014 and 2015. Royals are coming back after 2 years ban. Smith also captained Rising Pune Supergaint last season where they ended up as runners-up. He had a great season last year with the bat as well as captain.

However, the Government of Australia and Australian Sports Commission have called to remove Smith as captain with an immediate effect. The news of Steve Smith being removed as the captain of Rajasthan Royals has been confirmed by Republic on their official twitter handle.

If indeed Steve Smith is sacked as captain there is a high possibility of Ajinkya Rahane leading the side. The Rajasthan Royals think tank will have to take a swift decision regarding who will be the man to lead them out during the IPL 2018 season.

Rajasthan Royals will play their first match of IPL 11 against Sunrises Hyderabad on 9th April at Rajiv Gandhi Intl. Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad.