Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has reckoned that Delhi Capitals new recruit Steve Smith might not leave his family and partner and turn up for the upcoming edition of IPL because of his low Rs 2.2 crore auction price. He added that Smith’s low bidding in the Chennai auction came as a surprise for him.
Further, the 39-year-old added that one should not be surprised if the former Rajasthan Royals captain ‘pulls a hamstring injury’ days before boarding the flight to India.
“You talk about Steve Smith if he’s not the best batsman in the world, he’s not far away. Virat Kohli is number one, but Smithy is in the top three,” Clarke said on the Big Sports Breakfast Podcast.
“I know his T20 performances haven’t been as good as he would have like last year’s IPL he wasn’t great. I’m very surprised he has gone for the amount of money he has, just under $400,000 which is still good money.
“But when you look at what he was getting (last season) and his role as captain of Rajasthan, don’t be surprised if there’s a little hamstring strain the day the plane is meant to fly to India.
“For him to go away for an eight-week tournament and quarantine before the tournament starts call it 11 weeks. I don’t think he is going to give up 11 weeks away from his family and his partner for $380,000,” Clarke added.
Further, Michael Clarke said that he was also interested to see if Steve Smith decides to participate and prove people wrong.
