Steve Smith will lead the side in place of MS Dhoni. Image Source: newsdiv.com[/caption]Internet Desk: Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been removed from the captaincy of Rising Pune Supergiants for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) Season 10. The Pune based outfit has named Australian captain Steve Smith as the new skipper to lead the side. This will be the first time in last ten years Dhoni will play just as a player and not as a captain in IPL history.
According to Rising Pune Supergiants owner Sanjiv Goenka, they have also conveyed their decision to Dhoni. Last year Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions replaced the suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, but under Dhoni’s leadership they finished seventh in their debut season last year.
"Dhoni has not stepped down. We have appointed Steve Smith as the skipper for the upcoming season. Frankly speaking, we did not have a good last season and we wanted someone young to lead the side and revamp it ahead of the upcoming season 10," Rising Pune Supergiants owner Sanjiv Goenka told the media.
This is the first time that the 35-year-old, who had stepped down from Team India captaincy on his own terms in all formats, has been removed from the top position.
The decision comes a day before the players' auctions scheduled to be held in Bengaluru.
"I have the highest regard for MS Dhoni as a leader and a person. Dhoni continues to be an integral member of our team.
He is supportive of the decision keeping the franchise's best interests in mind," Goenka added.
Under Dhoni’s leadership, the Pune based side only won five matches of their 14 matches in the last IPL season.
Dhoni too was not in good touch like the previous seasons, as he managed to score only 284 runs from 12 innings with only one half-century under his belt.
Dhoni is regarded as one of three captains, who have won the IPL T-20 title twice. He was the Captain of Chennai Super Super Kings for eight consecutive seasons since the league started from 2008.
Under his captaincy, CSK had won the IPL Trophy in 2010 and 2011, while they also clinched the Champions League T-20 in 2010 and 2014.
Dhoni recently left his job as India’s limited-overs captain, heading over the responsibilities to Virat Kohli in all three formats of the game.
0 comments:
Post a Comment