Steve Smith elated to be back with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018

New Delhi, Jan 4 (CRICKETNMORE) - Australia skipper Steve Smith on Thursday expressed his delight after being retained by the Rajasthan Royals franchise for the 2018 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Smith, the No.1 Test batsman, was the

"I loved playing for them in the past and I am looking forward to once again joining the team and making a big difference in the IPL this year," the Australian said.

Chennai Super Kings, the other team to be back after serving a ban, retained the Indian trio of former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja.

Expressing his delight, Raina said: "Good to be back to CSK after 2 years. Looking forward to play in front of my beautiful and knowledgeable crowd whom I missed the last two years. See you out there in Chepauk Stadium."

Also elated were the trio of Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah after the Mumbai Indians retained them for the 11th edition of the league.

"Excited to be part of this wonderful franchise again. This team is what it is today because of its wonderful fans, people who work hard behind the scenes and it's passionate owners. I look forward to the season ahead," said Rohit, who guided Mumbai to the title in 2013, 2015 and 2017.