IPL playerAustralia2012 to 2021
Steve Smith
On scorecards: SPD Smith · Right-hand bat
Steve Smith, a batter, played nine IPL seasons for four franchises. In nine seasons the title never came.
The arrival
Steve Smith's first IPL season was 2012, with Pune Warriors, a signing made outside the auction.
That first season brought 15 matches and 362 runs.
The peak
The high point with the bat was 2017, for Rising Pune Supergiant: 472 runs at an average of 39.3, striking at 122.0 in a season when the league as a whole struck at 133.4, with 3 fifties, and a highest score of 84 not out. It came in a season as captain.
Measured against the league around it, though, the most destructive season was 2016: 270 runs at a strike rate of 153.4, 22 runs per hundred balls quicker than the IPL as a whole that year.
Franchise by franchise
2012 to 2013, Pune Warriors. 22 matches and 521 runs.
2014 to 2015, Rajasthan Royals. Bought at the 2014 auction for ₹4 cr. 24 matches and 450 runs; captain in 2015.
2016 to 2017, Rising Pune Supergiants. Arrived outside the auction. 23 matches and 742 runs; captain in 2017.
2019 to 2020, Rajasthan Royals, second time round. Back outside the auction. 26 matches and 630 runs; captain in 2019 and 2020.
2021, Delhi Capitals. Bought at the 2021 auction for ₹2.20 cr. 8 matches and 152 runs.
5 spells with four franchises in all. The longest was with Pune Warriors, 2012 to 2013. 2018 is missing from the record: a season without an IPL appearance.
How the runs came
Across the career, Steve Smith struck at 128.3. The league around those same seasons, weighted by how much batting each one involved, struck at 130.1, so the scoring rate tracked the league's almost exactly. 51% of the runs came in fours and sixes: 226 fours and 60 sixes.
The ball-by-ball record adds the detail. 31% of the balls Steve Smith faced were dot balls, a lower share than 92% of the 140 batters who have faced 500 balls or more in the IPL. A six came every 32.4 balls, and a four every 8.6.
The fielding record: 54 catches and 10 run-outs.
At the auction
Steve Smith went under the hammer seven times, bought three times and left unsold four times. The highest price was ₹4 cr, paid by Rajasthan Royals in 2014. The price climbed with the reputation: ₹90 lakh in 2011, ₹2.20 cr by 2021. Being bought did not always mean playing: no match followed for Pune Warriors in 2011.
Seasons without an auction entry were played under a retention, a trade or a signing made outside the auction.
The legacy
Steve Smith made 103 IPL appearances, the last for Delhi Capitals in 2021, and won 5 player-of-the-match awards.
Season by season
| Season | Team | M | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50/100 | Wkts | Econ | Best | Ct | POTM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Pune Warriors | 15 | 362 | 47* | 40.2 | 135.6 | 0/0 | 0 | 15.00 | - | 10 | 1 | |
| 2013 | Pune Warriors | 7 | 159 | 41 | 39.8 | 120.5 | 0/0 | – | – | – | 4 | 1 | |
| 2014 | Rajasthan Royals | 10 | 152 | 48* | 38.0 | 134.5 | 0/0 | – | – | – | 9 | ||
| 2015 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 298 | 79* | 27.1 | 133.6 | 2/0 | – | – | – | 7 | 1 | Captain |
| 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiants | 8 | 270 | 101 | 45.0 | 153.4 | 0/1 | – | – | – | 2 | ||
| 2017 | Rising Pune Supergiant | 15 | 472 | 84* | 39.3 | 122.0 | 3/0 | – | – | – | 7 | 1 | Captain |
| 2019 | Rajasthan Royals | 12 | 319 | 73* | 39.9 | 116.0 | 3/0 | – | – | – | 3 | 1 | Captain |
| 2020 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 311 | 69 | 25.9 | 131.2 | 3/0 | – | – | – | 2 | Captain | |
| 2021 | Delhi Capitals | 8 | 152 | 39 | 25.3 | 112.6 | 0/0 | – | – | – | 10 |
Franchise journey
- Pune Warriors: 2012 to 2013
- Rajasthan Royals: 2014 to 2015
- Rising Pune Supergiants: 2016 to 2017
- Rajasthan Royals: 2019 to 2020
- Delhi Capitals: 2021
Ball-by-ball detail
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Dot balls faced | 31% |
| Balls per four | 8.6 |
| Balls per six | 32.4 |
| Dot balls bowled | 0% |
| Balls per wicket | 2 |
| Catches | 54 |
| Run-outs | 10 |
| Stumpings | 0 |
At the auction
| Auction | Set | Base price | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | – | ₹90 lakh | Sold to Pune Warriors for ₹90 lakh (US$200k) |
| 2014 | AL1 | ₹2 cr | Sold to Rajasthan Royals for ₹4 cr |
| 2021 | BA1 | ₹2 cr | Sold to Delhi Capitals for ₹2.20 cr |
| 2022 | – | ₹2 cr | Unsold |
| 2024 | BA1 | ₹2 cr | Unsold |
| 2025 | BA4 | ₹2 cr | Unsold |
| 2026 | BA2 | ₹2 cr | Unsold |
Sources
- CricArcade IPL season statistics
- CricArcade IPL auction archive
- Kaggle IPL Complete Match Dataset 2008-2026, ball-by-ball, cross-checked against Cricsheet