Mahendra Singh Dhoni was today removed as captain of
IPL franchise Rising Pune Supergiants and replaced by Australian
Steve Smith, ending his innings as skipper in both international and franchise cricket, according to news agency
PTI.
ALSO READ: CUTENESS ALERT: DHONI'S DAUGHTER JUST DID A PHOTOSHOOT
Dhoni, who had stepped down as India's limited-overs
captain to snap his international run as skipper earlier this year, will, however, continue to be a part of the Pune franchise as a player.
"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 PTI.
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.
The most expensive player of the tournament that began in 2008, Dhoni also has been among the most successful.
Part of the now suspended
Chennai Super Kings franchise from 2008 to 2015,
Dhoni led the team to back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. Besides, he also led Chennai to the Champions League T20 trophies in 2010 and 2014.
He was the first one picked in the only draft held in the IPL, in December 2015, after Chennai and
Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two years and two new franchises -- Pune and
Gujarat Lions -- were given the option of choosing up to five players each.
He has been with the Pune franchise ever since. The man replacing him in the leadership role, the 27-year-old Smith, is currently the captain of the Australian crickteam in all three formats.
He was appointed Test captain in 2014/15 and he took over the ODI captaincy reigns after the 2015 World Cup.
Pune, who were one of the two teams along with Gujarat Lions to be inducted last season in place of the the suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, were plagued with injury issues.
They just about avoided the wooden spoon to finish ahead of
Kings XI Punjab at the seventh place in the eight-team standings of IPL 2015.
Although the team started well with a win over
Mumbai Indians in the first match, it failed to maintain the consistency with the likes of
Kevin Pietersen, Faf du Plessis and
Steven Smith all withdrawing due to injuries.
