Micheal Clarke, the World Cup-winning Australian captain has hinted that Steven Smith might pull out of the fourteenth edition of the Indian Premier League citing injury concerns after he got a minimal amount of money at the auction.
The Australian havoc Smith was picked for Rs 2.2 crore by the Delhi Capitals at Thursday’s auction. He was released by Rajasthan Royals, who retained him for 12.5 crores in 2018 and also handed over the captaincy role in 2018.
“I know his T20 performances haven’t been as good as he would have liked. Last year’s IPL wasn’t great. I’m very surprised he has gone for the amount of money he has, just under $400,000 – which is still good money,” said Clarke on the Big Sports Breakfast Podcast after calling Smith among the top three batsmen in the world.
“But when you look at what he was getting (last season) and his role as captain of Rajasthan, don’t be surprised if there’s a little hamstring strain the day the plane is meant to fly to India,” Clarke added.
Smith scored 311 runs at an average of 25.91 in last year’s IPL in 14 games for Rajasthan Royals, scoring just three half-centuries.
“You talk about Steve Smith – if he’s not the best batsman in the world, he’s not far away. Virat Kohli is number one, but Smithy is in the top three,” Clarke added.
