With less than a week left for the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023), Australian star Steve Smith has announced his return to the world’s biggest T20 extravaganza, starting on March 31.
On Monday, March 27, Smith took to Twitter to reveal that he will be joining an exceptional and passionate team in India ahead of the IPL 2023, which is set to get underway on March 31 with a mega clash between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Smith said in a video shared by him on Twitter: “Namaste India. I’ve got some exciting news for you. I am joining IPL 2023. Yes, that’s right. I am joining an exceptional and passionate team in India.”
However, the former Australian skipper didn’t reveal in what capacity he is returning to the IPL. Notably, Smith was last seen in the IPL with Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2021, in which he scored 152 runs in eight games.
Before representing DC, Smith was part of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and now-defunct franchises Rising Pune Supergiant, Pune Warriors India, and Kochi Tuskers Kerala. He also captained Pune to the IPL 2017 final. He also led RR in some IPL matches.
Smith has so far amassed 2485 runs in 103 IPL games at a strike rate of 128.09, including 11 half-centuries and one hundred.
