XtraTime Web Desk: The entire cricketing world has been shocked by the incident that occurred in Cape Town, South Africa, where Australian cricketers infamously tampered the ball.
Zubin Bharucha, Head of Cricket, said, “The incident in Cape Town has certainly disturbed the cricketing 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.” He would like to extend his gratitude to the BCCI officials and all the fans in India for their constant support.
Speaking at the announcement of the new captain, Bharucha added, “Ajinkya Rahane has been an integral part of the Royals family for a long time now and he understands the culture and values of our team. We have absolutely no doubt that he will be a great leader of the Rajasthan Royals.”
“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. It is important that all cricket fans retain a balanced perspective on the situation. What happened in South Africa was clearly wrong, especially given that it appears to have been pre-meditated. That said, this will be a difficult time for Steve as well, given how much he cares about the game.” said Manoj Badale, the co-owner of Rajasthan Royals.
Rajasthan Royals will launch their season with an away fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday, April 9th, followed by their first home game in Jaipur on Wednesday, April 11th where they will host Delhi Daredevils at Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Welcoming Rahane as the Captain of the team, Ranjit Barthakur, Executive Chairman, Rajasthan Royals, said, “Ajinkya Rahane has stepped up as a leader whenever he has been given the opportunity, be it for Team India or at Rajasthan Royals. We consider him the right candidate to lead the side this crucial season when the team is coming back to the IPL after two years. We wish him all the best.”
Rahane started his IPL career with Mumbai Indians in 2008 but played for the Royals from 2011 to 2015 until the franchise was suspended for two seasons by the BCCI.
It was at Rajasthan, under the mentorship of Rahul Dravid that Rahane really evolved as a batsman and succeeded as an opener. Rahane’s success story with the Royals commenced in 2012 as he hit a match-winning 98 against Kings XI Punjab in his first game of IPL 5 and hit the first century of that IPL season – an unbeaten 103 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Rahane emerged as the leading run-scorer for the Royals in that season due to his exploits with the bat.
“Governance and security are the prime policies that we as a franchise have taken into consideration and hence Rajasthan Royals’ management is working towards deploying the best of governing and security methodologies to deliver the very best for the game of cricket in Jaipur,” added Barthakur.