New Rajasthan Royals’ captain Ajinkya Rahane was pleased with the opportunity to lead his franchise in the upcoming edition of IPL in 2018. Rahane was named RR captain after Steve Smith admitted his role in the ball tampering incident in the third Test against South Africa.

Rahane said, “I am very excited to be captaining the team that I have always considered as my family. I would extend my thanks to the entire management of Rajasthan Royals for having shown the trust in me and considered me for this role. I am thrilled to be back with the Royals again and I am ready to get to work and do all that I can, to ensure we go all out and give our best. We won’t miss a beat as we gear up for yet another exciting IPL season in a few days from now.”

“I would also like to thank the fans and followers who have stood by us and I look forward to their continued support for Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming season,” added Rahane.

Rahane has previous captaincy experience with Team India, leading them in all the three formats.

He captained India in the final Test of the four Tests series against Australia in Dharamshala, winning the match and the series 2-1 and took India to series wins against Zimbabwe in ODIs and T20Is.

(With inputs from Rajasthan Royals official website)