IPL auction live updates: Steve Smith to unite with Rishabh Pant at DC in ₹2.2 CR deal

Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith was bought by the Delhi Capitals for ₹2.2 crore. Ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, Smith had created a lot of buzz because of his reputation, however, the Australian failed to attract attention from the franchises as he was sold for the modest price against all expectations.

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IPL auction live updates: Steve Smith sold to Delhi Capitals for ₹2.2 crore

It was the Royal Challengers Bangalore that started the bidding for Smith at his base price of ₹2 crore with none of the other franchises showing interest in the dynamic batsman. However, Delhi Capitals jumped in at the last moment and put in their only bid to steal Smith.

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Notably, Smith was the only player who was retained by the franchise ahead of IPL 2018 auction for a whopping price of ₹12.5 crore. The 31-year old was appointed as the captain of Rajasthan in 2018 when the franchise had returned after serving a two-year suspension, however, Smith stepped down from the role in the wake of the infamous Sandpapergate scandal. In 2019, after a dismal start to the tournament, Rajasthan replaced captain Ajinkya Rahane with Smith but the team's fortunes didn't change as they finished at the penultimate spot in the points table.

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The franchise subsequently continued with Smith as captain of the side in IPL 2020. However, the former Australian skipper failed to inspire the side with his leadership as Rajasthan finished at the bottom spot in the points table with six wins and eight losses. Smith didn't have the best IPL with the bats as well. The right-hander scored just 311 runs in 14 matches at a below-par average of 25.91. It will be interesting to see how Delhi Capitals accommodate Smith in a batting line-up which is already packed with top performers such as Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw.

IPL 2021 auction live streaming

Fans in Indian can tune in to the Star Sports Network to catch the live telecast of the program. The IPL 2021 auction live streaming is also available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website as well as on JioTV. To catch all the IPL auction updates click here.

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SOURCE: CRICKET.COM.AU