Steve Smith is one of the finest cricketers in world cricket. The veteran Australian cricketer had an outstanding performance in the Ashes Cup series as he captained the team against England and won the series 4-1. Smith was last seen playing for Sydney Sixers in a Big Bash League (BBL) match. He played 6 games for the 76ers and scored 299 points with an average score of 59.80. He was also the team’s highest scorer.

Smith scored a century and two half-centuries in the tournament. He joined in the middle of the season and also helped the team advance to the finals, but lost to the Perth Heat. Steve Smith, who was not sold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, has joined the latest side of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Sialkot Stallionz. This is his first season in this league.

Steve Smith to captain Sialkot?

Steve Smith was signed outright by the Sialkot franchise ahead of the PSL’s first player auction on Wednesday, February 11. Just a few weeks ago, Sialkot Stallions were officially announced as one of the two new teams in the PSL. The addition of Smith is crucial for the team as he is also likely to lead the team in the upcoming PSL season.

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Steve Smith has an experience of around 272 T20 games, scoring 6,242 runs at an average of 32.68 and a strike rate of 131.38, including 5 centuries and 30 half-centuries. With his experience, the new team can turn things around and win a championship. According to the rules of PSL 11, each team can directly sign a foreign player who did not participate in PSL 10.

OZ Developers makes history at auction

The rights to the team are in the hands of OZ Developers, which is owned by Hamza Majeed and Kamil Khan. The news was announced at the PSL 2026 auction held on January 8 at the Jinnah Convention Centre. OZ Developers made a record bid of INR 185 crore, which is also the most expensive bid to buy a franchise in the history of PSL.

Tim Paine appointed as head coach of Sialkot Stallionz

Sialkot Starionz had previously signed former Australia captain Tim Paine as their head coach. The news was announced via Stallionz’s social accounts and was accompanied by an animated poster. “We are proud to announce Tim Paine as head coach of 𝑺𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒐𝒕 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒛,” the Instagram post read. “Former Australian captain. Proven leader at the highest level. Leading a new era of championship mentality. Welcome to the Stallionz family, Coach,” it added.

Paine has previous coaching experience. After taking over as the coach of the Adelaide Strikers, he was appointed as the head coach of the Australia A team in the second half of 2025 and coached three series. While continuing to coach the Strikers, he was appointed as a consultant to the A-League men’s series and the Australian women’s team. The PSL is scheduled to begin on March 26, 2026.

Also read: Steve Smith joins Australia’s 2026 World Cup T20 squad as substitute option