Mahendra Singh Dhoni Steps Down As Rising Pune Supergiants Captain, Steven Smith Likely To Lead
Feb 19, 2017 at 1:27 PM
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, former Indian captain, has stepped down as Rising Pune Supergiants skipper ahead of IPL 10, as reported by Wisden India. Australia’s Steven Smith is likely to lead the side in the upcoming season.
Rising Pune Supergiants had a torrid debut season as the team could win just five of their 14 games in IPL 9. Dhoni’s side kicked off their campaign with a win over Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians but failed to carry on the momentum.
Speaking exclusively to Wisden India, a source said:
“Dhoni is a legend of Indian and world cricket, who are we to ask him to step down? He chose to step down because he wants to enjoy his cricket and play with freedom.”
RPS franchise has retained a total of 16 players for the upcoming season and has a total of 11 vacancies to be filled on the auction day. They have an amount of 191,000,000 remaining in their purse and will be keen on signing some exciting talents.
Earlier, India Today reported that Mahendra Singh Dhoni was sacked as the Pune skipper after the franchise had a communication with him about the same.