IPL 2021 Auction: 3 Teams Which Can Target Steve Smith

One of the biggest news from the recent release of the players’ retention list ahead of the IPL 2021 auction was Rajasthan Royals parting ways with their skipper Steve Smith.

Steve Smith had a poor 2020 campaign where he managed a mere 311 runs in 14 outings at an average of 25.91 and a strike-rate of 131.22.

As a result, Smith will be among a whole host of superstars who will go under the hammer in the IPL 2021 auctions and there are a plethora of teams who could go all out to grab his services.

Here’s a look at 3 teams who might go for Steve Smith in IPL 2021 auction-

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings generally do not too much chop and change to their squad but given the fact that they have released as many as six players and are coming off the worst possible season, expect them to go all out in the IPL 2021 auction.

With Shane Watson retiring post the 2020 season, CSK have one vacant overseas slot to fill, and with Rs 22.9 crore in their kitty, they can go for the services of Steve Smith.

Steve Smith is a brilliant player of pace as well as spin and given his penchant to keep the scoreboard ticking even when he is not getting boundaries can prove to be a real bonus for CSK in the middle-overs.

Smith brings a lot of experience to the table and with MS Dhoni in the last leg of his career, the former Rajasthan Royals skipper could well prove to be a long term investment for the Yellow Army as he can take over the reins of the side once MSD walks into the sunset.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and AB de Villiers in the same playing 11? Well! This could well be a possibility given the fact that RCB has long suffered from the paucity of a potent middle-order batsman.

RCB released the misfiring Aaron Finch from their squad along with Moeen Ali and Chris Morris and with still having Rs 35.7 crores in their kitty, they can go all out to grab the services of Steve Smith in the upcoming IPL 2021 auction.

RCB have just four frontline batsmen- Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Joshua Phillipe, and AB de Villiers- in their set-up. If they can grab the services of Steve Smith, not only will it take the pressure off ABD and Virat Kohli, but it will also give them a solid middle-order batsman, who is equally good against both pace as well as against spin.

In that case, Virat can promote himself to the opening spot- a position where he has enjoyed a lot of success in the past- alongside Devdutt Padikkal, with Steve Smith and AB de Villiers taking control of the middle-order.

Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab released foreign recruits like Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Sheldon Cottrell Hardus Viljoen, Mujeeb ur Rahman ahead of the auction and hence they have five overseas slots to fill and also the biggest purse (Rs 53.2 Crores) among all IPL franchises.

One of the issues that KXIP were grappled with during the 2020 IPL was their misfiring middle-order. The likes of Glenn Maxwell and James Neesham proved to be colossal failures and their lack of contributions forced KL Rahul to take a conservative approach.

If KXIP rack up the services of Steve Smith, not only will they have a banker at the No.4 slot, who could play a perfect foil to Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran but KL Rahul, who is still in his early days as captain, will benefit with the presence of a vastly experienced Australian.

Also Read: IPL 2021 Auction: 3 Teams Who Might Target Bangladesh All-Rounder Shakib Al Hasan