The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the only IPL side that did not have a captain, has named South African batsman Aiden Markram as their captain for the season.
Follow Us
The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the only IPL side that did not have a captain, has named South African batsman Aiden Markram as their captain for the season. On Thursday, Kaviya Maran’s squad revealed Markram’s name on Twitter, writing, “THE. WAIT. IS. OVER. #OrangeArmy, say hi to our new captain Aiden Markram.” At the IPL 2023 auction, the Hyderabad-based franchise did neither retain nor purchase previous captain Kane Williamson. There were rumours that Markram or former Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal may be chosen as the next captain. Markram, 28, asserted his claim after guiding the Sun Group-owned Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the first SA20 title. He scored 336 runs in the event, including a century in the semi-final, and took 11 wickets. Last year, the Proteas all-rounder had a fantastic IPL season, scoring 381 runs at an average of 47.63 with a strike rate of over 139 and three half-centuries.
Read more: ‘Bazball’: What is the England Test team’s new weapon?
When asked if he is interested in leading the side in the high-profile IPL, Markram said yes. “To be honest, what’s going to happen… either way, we support management’s judgement on who they want in charge,” Markram remarked during the SA20. “Becoming the captain is not the be-all and end-all. You can be in some form of leadership role too. But I am okay with captaincy, it’s something that I enjoy doing,” he said ahead of the SA20 final against Pretoria Capitals. I have been captaining for a while before this tournament started. It’s been a nice experience, a fresh start, I would say,” he had added.
As Kane Williamson was released prior to the IPL auction last December, the Sunrisers were forced to replace the leadership role. Williamson, the first player retained by the teams ahead of the blockbuster auction in 2022, battled for form as the Sunrisers finished eighth last season, failing to make the playoffs. Last season, Williamson missed the last league match to return to New Zealand for the birth of his kid, thus Bhuvneshwar Kumar took over. At the 2022 auction, Sunrisers paid INR 2.6 crore for Markram. Markram scored 381 runs in 12 innings that season, with a strike rate of 139.05 and an average of 47.62.
Sunrisers Eastern Capetown won the first SA20 league. Surisers Eastern Capetown defeated Pretoria Capitals by four wickets in the final. Batting first, Pretoria Capitals were bowled out for 135, losing their stride in the second half due to Roelof van der Merwe’s 4/31 effort. During the powerplay, Rossington finished the game with the bat. He smashed 50 in 22 balls, putting the Sunrisers so far ahead in the game that they could glide home despite a late setback. Nortje’s entrance was a little late, with 46 runs already scored before he came on to bowl. He and Rashid bowled brilliantly, but they just didn’t have enough runs.
| Player | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JC Buttler | 11 | 11 | 1 | 391 | 70 | 39.10 | 132.54 | 0 | 4 |
| F du Plessis | 11 | 10 | 1 | 369 | 113* | 41.00 | 147.60 | 1 | 2 |
| AK Markram | 12 | 12 | 1 | 366 | 100 | 33.27 | 127.97 | 1 | 1 |
Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Glenn Phillips, Kartik Tyagi, Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, T. Natarajan, Umran Malik, Washington Sundar, Anmolpreet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Dagar, Upendra Yadav, Sanvir Singh, Samarth Vyas, Vivrant Sharma, Mayank Markande, Adil Rashid, Heinrich Klaasen, Mayank Agarwal, Harry Brook
Rishabh Pant's explosive last-over blitz ignites IPL 2024 amid T20 World Cup comeback talks
