New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been removed as skipper of his Indian Premier League team with Australia's Steve Smith replacing him for the upcoming tournament, an official statement said yesterday.
Dhoni, who stepped down as India's limited-overs captain last month, will continue to play as wicketkeeper-batsman for the Rising Pune Supergiants in the Twenty20 franchise-based competition that begins April 5.
Team owner Sanjiv Goenka said Dhoni "is supportive of the decision, keeping the franchise's best interests in mind".
Under 35-year-old Dhoni's captaincy, the Pune team finished second last in their debut IPL season in 2016, winning only five games and losing nine.
Dhoni scored 284 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 135 while 27-year-old Smith, who captains Australia in all formats, hit 270 in seven at a 153-strike rate.
"Dhoni has not stepped down. We have appointed Steve Smith as the skipper," team owner Goenka told the Press Trust of India.
Sunday's announcement came as a shock to scores of Dhoni's fans who took to Twitter to vent, making "MS Dhoni" one of the top trending topics in India.
"Pune team removed Dhoni from captaincy. I think this is time to remove @RPSupergiants from @IPL," said Twitter user Vaishali.
