Klaasen likely to join Rajasthan Royals as Smith's replacement

And, Klaasen would only cost them 50 lakh which is his base price.

With spinner set to play a huge role in the IPL, the Royals are out looking for someone who can play spin well and Klaasen tops their list.

Klaasen demonstrated his prowess during limited-overs series against India, playing array of shots against dangerous Kuldeep and Chahal.

when approached by Rajasthan, Klaasen was quiet surprise and immediately said yes, RR’s Head of cricket told Cricbuzz.

Rajasthan already have quality wicketkeepers in Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson but Klaasen addition will be purely on his skills with the wood.

The Rajasthan based franchise is also considering options with Joe Root and Hasim Amla on their list but with Smith set comeback in the next season, they would want to avoid having players of same ability for next three years.

Ajinkya Rahane has been named as Steve Smith’s successors for the Rajasthan Royals

While Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson takes over from David Warner for the 2016 IPL champions.

However, both the teams still have a daunting task of naming a replacement for Smith and Warner in the 2018 squad.

Rajasthan Royals are acting quickly and have now turned their focus to South Africa.

The 2008 IPL champions want to rope in South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen as the replacement for Steve Smith, according to Cricbuzz

With Steve Smith and David Warner thrown out of IPL 11, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have managed to appoint new captains for their respective sides.