On Monday (March 27), Australia’s Steve Smith confirmed his comeback to the Indian Premier League (IPL), just days before the commencement of the league’s highly anticipated sixteenth season.
The 2021 season was the last time Steve Smith participated in the league. In 2021, he worked as a player for Delhi Capitals, but he did not have a particularly successful year. The star batter sat on the bench most of the game.
He batted 152 runs at a strike rate of 112.59 in 8 games for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021. The Delhi franchise waived the Australian star before the 2022 Indian Premier League season. Before IPL 2022, he entered the auction with a base price of Rs 2 crore but was not purchased.
And he made the call to not enter the upcoming season’s auction. The IPL will still have a connection to Steve Smith, but it won’t be as a player. Reports indicate that the upcoming IPL season will mark his commentary debut.
Even though he didn’t specify his job, Steve Smith confirmed the news on Twitter. He uploaded a video to his Twitter and wrote:
“Namaste India. I have got some exciting news for you. I am joining IPL 2023. Yes, that’s right. I am joining an exceptional and passionate team in India,” Steve Smith added.
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) March 27, 2023
So far, Steve Smith’s experience in India during the current season has been fantastic. After moving to India last month, Australia won the Indore Test and the one-day international series under his leadership. When Pat Cummins had to return home for personal reasons, Smith was promoted to captain and he proved to be an excellent replacement.
Steve Smith’s leadership helped Australia win the third Test and go to the final of the ICC World Test Championship. Australia defeated India 2-1 in a best-of-three one-day international series because they were the superior team.
The tourists evened the series with a ten-wicket victory against the hosts in the second one-day international after losing the opening game by five wickets. The Steve Smith-led side won the series last week after beating India in the third one-day international by 21 runs. Smith currently has high hopes for his time in the IPL.
