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Follow UsHaving gone unsold at the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, and having already been communicated by the selectors that he was not going to be a part of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, Steve Smith opted to fly to India and take up commentary during IPL 2024.
A couple of months back, the general consensus was that Smith was ‘finished’ as a T20 batter. Commentating in IPL 2024 was the first step towards becoming a full-time commentator during the months of April and May.
Well, it turns out, reports of the death of Smith, the T20 batter, were greatly exaggerated.
Two months on, he’s pretty much said ‘call an ambulance, but not for me’ through his showing in the 2024 edition of Major League Cricket (MLC).
336 runs at an average of 56.00 and strike rate of 148.67, Smith just finished MLC 2024 as the tournament’s third-highest run-getter.
Known for being ‘Mr. Clutch’ thanks to his impeccable record in knockouts in general, Smith has added to his legend by walking away with the Player of the Match award in the final on July 28 (Sunday) courtesy a swashbuckling 52-ball 88.
And he’s done all this while captaining Washington Freedom to the title in a remarkable campaign that’s seen the side win 7/8 matches and go all the way without breaking a sweat.
Is this statement he’s made in the MLC going to force Australia to pick Smith in T20Is again? Probably not.
Despite dunking all over young Jake Fraser-McGurk in MLC 2024 — the latter averaged 11.57 in the competition — it’s 'highly' unlikely that Smith will play T20Is for Australia again.
The Kangaroos have made it clear that they see Travis Head & McGurk as the next long-term opening pair. And with Mitchell Marsh at No.3, there’s no way back in for Smith, who is definitely not going to bat outside the top three. And, in a way, you can argue that going back to the veteran in T20Is will be a step backwards for Australia, considering he will be 37 by the time the next T20WC comes about.
However, you reckon that a lot of IPL franchises would have seen his showing in MLC 2024 and would have taken notes.
As an individual, Smith might not be a game-changer capable of consistently winning cricket matches for sides in a competition like the IPL. What he is, however, is a natural leader that a franchise can build a team around.
And that’s what must be really enticing for several sides ahead of the mega auction.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are both almost guaranteed to start IPL 2025 with a new skipper. Delhi Capitals (DC), could, too, if Rishabh Pant ends up leaving the franchise and goes to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as rumoured.
Smith could be an ideal fit for these three aforementioned franchises.
Take PBKS, for instance, They’ve had leadership issues for a whole decade now. ‘Stability’ is a word that cannot be found in their dictionary. A leader of the calibre of Smith could do a world of good to the franchise, even if the association between the two parties turns out to be a short one.
LSG, meanwhile, have, for three seasons, boasted arguably the most talented squad in the league but have underperformed season after season relative to their squad strength.
There’s been a clear leadership issue at the franchise, with KL Rahul unable to get the most out of the players at his disposal. His tactical shortcomings as a skipper even left the franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka frustrated, with the latter publicly admonishing Rahul in the aftermath of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) clash last season.
Getting in a skipper with the proven track record of Smith, who has had success at all levels, might just be the need of the hour for a side like LSG.
It’s a bit more complicated for DC, but either way, Smith will be an instant upgrade on Pant, the captain, and Shai Hope, the batter, who made nine appearances for the side in IPL 2024.
By winning MLC 2024 as captain, Smith extended his win percentage as T20 skipper to 63.3%. No Aussie skipper in history that has led 70+ times in T20s has been more successful.
Forget Australians. Of all the captains in history who have led 70 or more times in top-level T20 cricket (Internationals + top franchise leagues), Rohit Sharma (63.50%) is the only other one who has been more successful than Smith.
And the 35-year-old is someone who comes in with a proven track record as an IPL skipper, with his win percentage of 59.5% in the competition being the best among skippers who have led 30+ times in the competition.
If his batting can hold up, then Smith might prove to be a very interesting pick for sides in desperate need of a leader.
It won’t be a surprise if certain other sides take a punt on him, either.
In MLC 2024, Smith showed signs of reinventing his T20 batting by targeting more sixes and deploying the scoop shot.
MLC 2024 saw Smith hit a whopping 21 sixes — the second-most for him in a tournament in his 16-year-long T20 career.
In the competition, he unfurled the scoop against the quicks that we saw him hit earlier in the year in Brisbane against Alzarri Joseph. In MLC 2024, only Faf du Plessis (25) collected more runs off the scoop than Smith’s 22. But Smith’s SR of 440 with the stroke was double that of du Plessis’ 208, and higher than any other batter that tried to execute that shot.
Great players keep reinventing themselves and evolving to stay relevant, and it feels like Smith, by unleashing the scoop shot, has added a new dimension to his T20 batting.
Of course, one tournament is an extremely small sample size to pass extremely positive judgements, but one thing’s for sure: Steve Smith still isn't done. He has a lot more to offer in T20s.
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