Australian batting duo of Steve Smith and David Warner wasn’t allowed to play in the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the ball-tampering scandal, but now they are all set to appear in the 2019 edition as they have been retained by their respective franchises.

Smith was supposed to play for Rajasthan Royals (RR), this year, while Warner was to play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In their absence, Ajinkya Rahane took up the reins of captaincy for the Royals while New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson led the Sunrisers who finished runners-up in 2018.

On Thursday, it was announced that the duo has been retained by their respective franchises on contracts worth about 2.4 million Australian dollars (₹12.5 crore), the Sydney Morning Herald said.

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The ban on Smith and Warner ends on March 29, the same date on which the next edition of the IPL will be commencing. However, none of the two players will be able to play the entire IPL this time since Cricket Australia (CA) has set up a training camp for the upcoming ICC World Cup in May. The Australian players who are bound to play the showpiece event will return home in the first week of May.

While the IPL final is scheduled on May 19, the first match of the World Cup scheduled in England and Wales will be played on May 30. The CA is also not approving contracted players in the T20 tournament until after the country’s domestic Sheffield Shield season concludes on April 1, unless of course their team New South Wales fails to make the final.

Both Smith and Warner have been successful captains in the IPL. While Warner went on to lead the Sunrisers to win the trophy in 2016, Smith fell short closely as his Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) lost 2017 final to Mumbai Indians by a solitary run.