IPL Auction 2020 / Steve Smith 1st buy of IPL 2021 auction, bought by Delhi Capitals for ₹2.2 crore

Cricket Desk: Former Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith was sold to Delhi Capitals for Rs. 2.2 crore at the IPL 2021 auction. 

After Rajasthan Royals (RR) opted to part ways with batting maestro Steve Smith ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction, all eight franchises were tipped to make an early advance for the talismanic batsman of the Baggy Greens in the Chennai event on Thursday. All eyes were on Smith at the IPL 2021 auction as the former Australian skipper was one of the hottest picks in the Chennai event.

Regarded as one of the finest batsmen across formats, Smith was an ideal captaincy candidate for some of the biggest teams in domestic cricket's biggest extravaganza. Under Smith's leadership, the one-time champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) had finished last in the previous edition of the IPL 2020. Taking about the IPL auction 2021, the Australian star batsman was the third player to be drawn in the first round of the mini-auction. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) kickstarted the bidding process for the former Australian skipper at the auction in Chennai. Though many pundits expected a bidding war for the ex-RR skipper, Smith's bid was hijacked by the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Shreyas Iyer-led side signed the star player for a budget-friendly price of INR 220 lakh.