Steve Smith is set to make his debut in broadcasting and commenting at the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). After going unsold at the Dubai mini-auction late last year, the Australian batting legend is set to take the mike and narrate the action at the IPL 2024, which begins March 22.
After failing to get a bid, the former Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) player will join the BCCI’s broadcasting and commentary squad for the showpiece T20 tournament.
Smith will be performing English commentary on Star Sports and Sports18, providing his insights into the IPL’s razzmatazz and enthralling on-field play alongside some of the world’s best commentators, a task he is very enthusiastic about.
Notably, Smith is the only current international player on the English commentary crew for the IPL 2024. He joins an exceptional panel of commentators that includes Harsha Bhogle, Nick Knight, Sunil Gavaskar, Matthew Hayden, Ian Bishop, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Tom Moody, and Simon Doull, among others.
Smith would have preferred to participate in the IPL, having not played since the league’s 2021 edition in the UAE. Since being released by the Delhi franchise, the prolific international hitter has found no buyers for his T20 skill, raising concerns about his performance in the shortest format.
Despite returning to the Big Bash League (BBL) with a bang and scoring two hundreds for the Sydney Sixers, the 34-year-old was unable to reverse his fortunes in the IPL.
Smith’s previous subpar performances in the league would not have benefited his reputation. He has played 103 IPL games and scored 2,485 runs with a strike rate of just 128.09.
