IPL 2023: Steve Smith as Kane Williamson replacement in Gujarat Titans squad? Australia cricketer reacts

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Defending champions Gujarat Titans suffered a big blow on Saturday (April 1) when New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was ruled out of the IPL 2023 after injuring his knee in the tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings.

Williamson's injury potentially rules him out of the marquee competition in the very first match of the season and the franchise will now have to look for a like-to-like replacement for the Blackcaps cricketer.

Soon after reports of Williamson possibly getting ruled out of the tournament, fans started creating buzz around former Australia captain Steve Smith. Users on Twitter wondered if Smith - who is not participating in IPL 16 Season as a cricketer - would make his return to the competition.

Smith might have been uncertain about his involvement in the IPL 2023 as a player but fans across started trending his name on social media with hopes to see him back on the field.

When asked about his possible return to the competition as a player, Smith said on Star Sports - where he's made his IPL debut as a commentator, " I don't know if I'll qualify, I didn't even put myself in the auctions. So I don't think there's even a possibility. So, maybe next year, we will see where we go."

Former India cricketer and senior commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, however, claimed that the talismanic batter from Sydney could be an ideal replacement for Williamson on the GT side.

Manjrekar said "I think that would be a brilliant call, and Steve Smith is the kind of player they want, somebody who can play all kinds of gears. Plus with the new rules which he finds very cool, I'd love to see Smith's captaincy, we saw that and we were raving about it in the India-Australia series. And Hardik Pandya needs a bit of help, he confessed, 'I have no idea what my tactics are, so I'm going to leave it to the others.' So, that could be a great call actually."

On the show, Smith also recalled his most cherished memories of playing in the IPL over the years, he said, "I think just coming up against the best players around the world, the learning experiences from each of those, sharing dressing rooms with guys like MS Dhoni, Jos Buttler, guys like that, It's been incredible, and the IPL has just been unbelievable since its start 15 years ago and it just continues to grow and grow."