Indian Premier League franchise Rising Pune Supergiants has removed Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the captain’s position and has replaced him with Australia’s Steve Smith, PTI reported on Sunday. The move has ended Dhoni’s captaincy in all forms of the game, even as the team said he would be a part of the franchise as a player.

Team owner Sanjiv Goenka said the former Indian skipper was supportive of the decision, “keeping the franchise’s best interests in mind”. “Frankly speaking, we did not have a good last season and we wanted someone young to lead the side and revamp it ahead of the upcoming season 10 [of the IPL],” Goenka said. “I have the highest regard for MS Dhoni as a leader and a person.”

The move comes ahead of the IPL player auctions on Monday. Dhoni was part of the now-suspended Chennai Super Kings team from the IPL’s first season in 2008 before being selected for the Pune franchise in December 2015. He quit Test Cricket in 2014 and relinquished his duties as India’s One-Day International and Twenty20 skipper on January 4 this year. Smith is currently the captain of the Australian cricket team in all three formats of the game.