Indian limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was appointed the captain of the newly christened Indian Premier League team Rising Pune Super Giants. The franchise's owner Sanjiv Goenka made the announcement in Kolkata on Monday.

Goenka said at a press conference, "He has always been a phenomenal leader for teams that he has represented including the Indian side. His track record in both domestic and International arenas have been remarkable. I firmly believe he will lead our team extremely well on and off the field."

Dhoni, who captained the now-banned Chennai Super Kings to two IPL titles, will join Australian skipper Steve Smith, South African Twenty20 captain Faf du Plessis, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and batsman Ajinkya Rahane in Pune's squad.

The Pune franchise was bought by the Goenka-led New Rising group in an auction after the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals franchises were suspended for two years for their involvement in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal.