Ajinkya Rahane Excited to Captain Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018
Following the ball-tampering saga, Australian captain Steve Smith stepped down from captaincy.
Following the ball-tampering saga, Australian captain Steve Smith stepped down from captaincy. Owing to the distractions, Steve also gave up the captaincy for Rajasthan Royals. Ajinkya Rahane, is now entrusted the responsibility of handling the reins of the team.
The 29-year-old in a statement said that he is excited to lead the side and thanked the decisionmakers of Rajasthan for showing trust in him. The official Instagram page of the team shared Ajinkya's statement and wrote, " I am very excited to be captaining the team that I have always considered as my family. I would extend my thanks to the entire management of Rajasthan Royals for having shown the trust in me and considered me for this role.” – @ajinkyarahane
It was only yesterday that team Rajasthan Royals declared the new skipper of the team. Zubin Bharucha, Head of Cricket, Rajasthan Royals in a statement The incident in Cape Town has certainly disturbed the cricket world. We have been in constant touch with the BCCI and taken their counsel. Furthermore, we have been in regular contact with Steve.”
"Steve believes given the current circumstances, it’s in the best interest of the Rajasthan Royals that he steps down as Captain so the team can get ready for the start of the IPL without the ongoing distractions, "read the statement.
Manoj Badale, the co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, said, "@ajinkyarahane to lead Rajasthan Royals in #IPL2018 "Rajasthan Royals will do everything possible to protect the values and the integrity of the game. We agree with Steve’s decision to step down as captain, and we are fortunate to have such a capable successor with Ajinkya Rahane.” - Manoj Badale, the co-owner of Rajasthan Royals."
Talking about the team, players like Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, and a few other domestic players have started preparing for IPL 11. The squad also comprises players like Jaydev Unadkat, Joss Buttler, Dhawan Kulkarni and many more.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2018 04:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).