Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been removed from the captaincy of Indian Premier League team Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) for the upcoming season.

Franchise owner and industrialist Sanjiv Goenka today announced that Australia captain Steve Smith will replace Dhoni as the new captain in this year’s edition.

Dhoni led the now-suspended Chennai franchise to IPL titles in 2010 and 2011 but under his captaincy RPS managed to win only five of their 14 matches in their debut IPL last year and finished second last.

“I have the highest regard for MS Dhoni as a leader and a person. Dhoni will continue to be an important part of our team. He is supportive of the decision keeping the franchisee’s best interests in mind,” RPS owner Sanjeev Goenka said in a statement.

Dhoni recently stepped down as India’s limited-overs captain, handing over the mantle to Virat Kohli in all three formats.

The 10th season of IPL will kick off in Hyderabad on 5 April, 2017. The 47-day tournament will be spread across 10 locations, including Indore and Kanpur. Each team will play 14 matches while the final match is scheduled on May 21.