Aussie duo Smith and Warner banned from IPL 11
What's the story
Steve Smith and David Warner have been axed from participating in the Indian Premier League 2018. This comes after Cricket Australia banned the duo for a year in wake of their involvement in the ball tampering scandal. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla announced the decision hours after Cricket Australia's sanctions. Smith and Warner had earlier stepped down from captaincy of Rajasthan and Hyderabad respectively.
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'Spirit, code of conduct vital for players in IPL'
BCCI said in a statement that players participating in IPL need to hold the spirit of cricket and code of conduct for players and match officials in the highest regard. The board respected Cricket Australia's sanctions and imposed a ban on both of them.
The road ahead
What next for Royals and Sunrisers?
RR had already named Ajinkya Rahane as their skipper, after Smith stepped down. SRH are set to announce their skipper shortly with Kane Williamson being tipped as the likely candidate. With Smith and Warner banned from IPL 11, the franchises have been allowed to get in new players as their replacements. Both of them were retained for a whopping Rs. 12 crore each.
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Who would replace Warner and Smith?
England skipper Joe Root is a likely candidate to replace Smith at Rajasthan Royals. Like Smith, he is a classy batsman who can strengthen the middle-order. Hashim Amla or Martin Guptill can come in the place of opener David Warner.