Sanju Samson replaced Steve Smith as Rajasthan Royals captain after the Australian batsman and some other under-performing stars were released by their respective IPL franchises even as Chennai Super Kings retained veteran Suresh Raina for the upcoming 14th edition of the league.
Samson was appointed to the top job after RR decided against renewing former skipper Steve Smith’s contract. Smith’s contract ended in October 2020. Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch were also released by Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore, respectively. Also released by KXIP were West Indies’ Sheldon Cottrell, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham.
CSK’s Harbhajan Singh and Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga were among the other big names to be released ahead of next month’s auction. Harbhajan was joined by the likes of Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla and Murali Vijay who were also let go by CSK. Delhi Capitals decided to enter the next edition without Jason Roy, Alex Carey and Mohit Sharma. Kohli returns for England Test series along with Hardik, Ishant
Virat Kohli returned to lead India against England in the upcoming home Test series while the selectors also recalled all-rounder Hardik Pandya and pacer Ishant Sharma to bolster the squad, announced by the BCCI.
Kohli, who headed back to India on a paternity leave after the Adelaide Test, was named in the 18-man squad along with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the final Test in Brisbane against Australia due to an abdominal strain. The squad was named only for the first two Tests of the four-match series, starting on February 5 in Chennai.
Senior pacer Ishant had missed the Australia tour due to the side strain he suffered during the IPL in the UAE while Pandya only played the ODIs and T20Is Down Under. Tamil Nadu paceman T Natarajan was dropped as the selection panel added Axar Patel, a left-arm spinner and useful batsman down the order, to the squad as he would be more effective to counter England on Indian pitches.