The IPL 10 had three foreign captains while the upcoming IPL may have all Indian captains for the first time in the tournament history if Steve Smith and David Warner are banned. (Photo: @IPL Twitter)

The ball-tampering controversy in Australian cricket has found great resonance in India. And the latest is their captain, Steve Smith, stepping down as Rajasthan Royals skipper in the Indian Premier League. Ajinkya Rahane now takes charge.

The Aussie woes do not end there as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner is also facing the heat. This could lead to Shikhar Dhawan taking over the mantle, which means all eight IPL teams this season will have Indian captains.

Never before in the history of the T20 league have all teams been led by Indians. There has been a fetish for captains from abroad, but the trend could change. A final word on Warner leading the Hyderabad side will come on Wednesday.

As it is, there have been massive changes in the layout of the IPL's forthcoming edition. Gautam Gambhir, who won two titles with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 and 2014, will lead the Delhi Daredevils for the first time this season. Off-spinner R Ashwin will trade the Chennai Super Kings' yellow jersey for Kings XI Punjab's red and will look to turn around their fortunes.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik was bought for a whopping Rs 7.40 crore by KKR and was named skipper ahead of the likes of Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will return to lead the Chennai Super Kings after a gap of two years. The 36-year-old had led CSK to two IPL titles in 2010 and 2011.

Rohit Sharma is the only captain to win three titles, all of which came with Mumbai Indians in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

However, Virat Kohli will also look to end his title drought as he gears up to lead a new-look Royal Challengers Bangalore side this season.

On Monday, Smith, facing severe backlash for his role in the ball-tampering episode in a Test against South Africa, stepped down as Royals captain and was replaced by Rahane.

Smith allegedly instructed teammate Cameron Bancroft to tamper with the ball during South Africa's second innings last week.

The under-fire Smith will, however, continue to be part of the franchise for the Twenty20 league starting April 7.

"Steve believes given the current circumstances it's in the best interest of the Rajasthan Royals that he steps down as captain so the team can get ready for the start of the IPL without the ongoing distractions. He would like to extend his gratitude to the BCCI officials and all the fans in India for their constant support," Rajasthan Royals' head of cricket Zubin Bharucha said in a statement.

The Royals are returning to the IPL after serving a two-year ban for the franchise's erstwhile top management's role in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal. The team's mentor and former skipper Shane Warne is in Cape Town and it is understood that he might have had talked the Australian captain into taking this decision.

Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman said the franchise would wait for Cricket Australia's decision on Warner. "As far as Sunrisers is concerned, it's too early for us to comment We will wait for decision of Cricket Australia," Laxman was quoted saying.

Mail Today has learnt that Dhawan has expressed his desire to lead Hyderabad if Warner steps down. "Dhawan is the best man to replace Warner as captain. He wants to lead the team."