Steve Smith RCB: Is Bangalore Australian batter’s IPL 2023 team?

It was only yesterday that Australia batter Steven Smith announced an extension of his stay in India for participation in Indian Premier League 2023. Smith, who has been in India for around a couple of months now due to Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 and a three-match ODI series, took to social media platform Twitter to confirm the development via a 15-second video.

Not in the best of forms of late, Smith scored a total of 167 runs at an average of 23.85 across nine innings for Australia on the recently concluded tour of India.

Smith, who remained unsold during IPL 2022 auction, hadn’t put up his name in the auction for the forthcoming 16th season of the IPL. As a result, Smith claiming to return to the tournament was bit of a puzzle.

Is RCB Steve Smith IPL 2023 team?

It was only later that the official television broadcaster of IPL 2023 in Star Sports Network confirmed signing Smith as a commentator for IPL 2023. While the official star-studded list of Star Sports’ commentators is yet to be released, Smith’s presence as an active A-list cricketer will surely be appreciated by fans.

Therefore, all kinds of speculations with respect to Smith returning to the IPL in the capacity of a player are mere speculations with not even an iota of truth about the same.

Smith, who has played for four franchises across his nine-season IPL career, was last seen in the biggest T20 league across the world in 2021. In what wasn’t the best of seasons for the Aussie batter, he had scored all of 152 runs at an average and strike rate of 25.33 and 112.59 respectively across seven innings for Delhi Capitals.

Will Steve Smith revive T20 career post BBL 2022-23?

Smith, 33, had witnessed his T20 stock falling to an all-time low post Australia’s league stage exit during ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at home. Having missed out on Big Bash League 2021-23 participation, the right-handed batter had managed to play five matches of BBL 2022-23 post the culmination of the Test summer earlier this year.

That being said, Smith rediscovering form in the shortest format on the back of opening the batting for Sydney Sixers might once again bring him into T20I recognition. In spite of joining in business end of the season, Smith amassed 346 runs at an average and strike rate of 86.50 and 174.74 respectively with the help of two centuries and a half-century in an astonishing turn of events.

While Smith will still have to give IPL 2023 a miss as a player, his short burst for Sixers could see him enticing interest from other T20 tournaments in the near future. Assuming Smith continues to contribute as a T20 opening batter, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up becoming David Warner‘s opening partner especially post former captain Aaron Finch‘s international retirement.