NEW DELHI // MS Dhoni has been stood down as captain of his Indian Premier League team with Australia’s Steve Smith replacing him for the upcoming tournament, an official statement said Sunday.
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.
“Rising Pune Supergiant today announced the appointment of Steve Smith as their new captain for the forthcoming edition of IPL season 10,” a team statement said.
Team owner Sanjiv Goenka said Dhoni “is supportive of the decision, keeping the franchise’s best interests in mind”.
Under Dhoni’s captaincy, the Pune team finished second last in their debut IPL season in 2016, winning only five games and losing nine.
Dhoni, 35, scored 284 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 135 while Smith, 27, who captains Australia in all formats, hit 270 in seven at a 153-strike rate.
“Frankly speaking, we did not have a good last season and we wanted someone young to lead the side and revamp it ahead of the upcoming Season 10,” Goenka told the Press Trust of India.
Dhoni was chosen to head the Pune franchise after the Supergiants and Gujarat Lions replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, which were suspended for two seasons following a spot-fixing scandal in 2013.
He had been the captain of the Super Kings since the IPL’s inception in 2008 and made it the most successful team, having won the short-form tournament in 2010 and 2011 and finishing runners-up on four occasions.
Separately, India’s cricket board said Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc was no longer a member of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.
Starc had been signed up to the Bangalore franchise since 2014, but played only two tournaments for them. He skipped last year’s edition due to a foot injury.
The latest announcements come just before the IPL player auction in Bangalore on Monday.
* Agence France-Presse
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Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Ministry of Interior
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Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
