Steve Smith terms Royals' mate Jos Buttler as one of the 'most destructive batters'

Jaipur: The returning Steve Smith has called his Rajasthan Royals teammate Jos Buttler one of the "most destructive batters" in international cricket, heaping rich praise on the England wicketkeeper.

The Australian run-machine is returning to top-flight after serving a one-year international ban for involvement in ball-tampering.

"Playing alongside Buttler will be great, batting with him makes things easier for me. He's an exciting player and one of the most destructive batters around the world," Smith said during a live interaction on the franchise's social media platform.

Smith's Australian teammate David Warner, who was also involved in the scandal, joined his respective team.

Rajasthan will be playing their Indian Premier League opener against Kings XI Punjab at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on March 26.

"It will be great - never got the chance to play in Jaipur with the Royals. I am sure the fans will come out in big numbers and support us," Smith said.

Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural IPL under Shane Warne's captaincy.