Xtra Time Web Desk: Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday announced that Sanju Samson will lead the side in the forthcoming Indian Premier League 2021 season. Samson will replace Australian Steve Smith who has also been released. The franchise has retained 17 players for the upcoming edition of IPL and has released 8 cricketers.
The Royals management believe that the retained players present a strong core with a good mix of Indian and international players, who would form a solid base around which the rest of the squad can be built. The retained contingent have all been active in domestic and international cricket, with the majority of the players doing well in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, while Kartik Tyagi has been part of the victorious Indian team in Australia.
Steve Smith, the Royals’ skipper in the last edition will not be retained for the upcoming season of the IPL in 2021. The foreign list of retained players includes Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, and Jofra Archer. All three English players performed well for the Royals in the last tournament and have been good contributors to the team in the past three years. MVP Jofra Archer, was the top wicket-taker for the Royals in 2020 with twenty wickets, while Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes have been vital contributors in the Rajasthan Royals’ important wins in the recent past. In addition to the English trio, David Miller and Andrew Tye have been retained too.
Commenting on the releases and retention for the season, lead owner – Rajasthan Royals, Manoj Badale said, “We’re happy to retain the core of our squad ahead of IPL 2021. We’ve got a talented group that underperformed overall last season and will be wanting to correct that. It is a well balanced squad and we are excited for the season ahead.”
“We would like to thank all of the players for their effort through the course of the previous seasons, and for always maintaining the Rajasthan Royals values. I would especially like to thank Steve Smith for everything that he has done as a leader and captain of the Royals. His contribution on the field, and his contribution off the field, especially towards the development of some of our young players, both as a captain and mentor has been immense.”
The Royals’ new captain, Sanju Samson spoke on his appointment and the new challenge that awaits him in the coming season: “It’s an absolute honour to have been announced as the captain of Rajasthan Royals. It’s a team that is so close to my heart, which I’ve been lucky enough to play for over the years, and I’m excited about the challenge that lies ahead of me as the leader of the team. The Royals have had some wonderful captains over the years and I’m so grateful for all the time I’ve spent working with and learning from great leaders like Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith!! I now cannot wait to get started and look forward to the season ahead.”
Released Players:
Steve Smith
Ankit Rajpoot
Oshane Thomas
Akash Singh
Varun Aaron
Tom Curran
Anirudha Joshi
Shashank Singh