Rajasthan Royals (RR) batsman Steven Smith has finally landed in Jaipur for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Meanwhile, the 12th edition of the league begins from March 23 with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Chepauk.
Smith, however, will return to action after a year ban levied by Cricket Australia following the ball-tampering scandal last during the Cape Town Test. Following that incident, the IPL Governing Council also decided to uphold the ban on Steven Smith along with David Warner to send a strong message across the cricketing community. As a result, Smith didn’t feature in the previous edition of the league. However, he would love to make amends in the season to follow.
Although Steven Smith couldn’t feature in international cricket and domestic cricket in Australia, the star batsman feature T20 leagues namely the Global Canada T20, Caribbean Premier League, and the Bangladesh Premier League. However, he suffered an injury during the tournament and had to undergo surgery. But he has recovered from the injury and will look to return to dominate the competition. The former Australian skipper last led the Pune Supergiant in the 2017 edition of the league.
Upon reaching in Jaipur, Steven Smith took to Twitter to express his feelings. Smith admitted that he is feeling great to come back to Rajasthan and seemed excited about the upcoming season.
“Great to be back with the @rajasthanroyals here in Jaipur. Very excited for this years IPL,” Smith wrote soon after landing in Jaipur.
Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, will begin their campaign on March 25 against Kings XI Punjab. Steven Smith will aim to hit the strides quickly as the international circuit awaits his return. The star batsman, in all likelihood, will feature for Australia in the upcoming ICC World Cup which starts on May 30 in England. The ban on both Smith and Warner ends on March 28.