By: Aditya Ahuja
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday appointed Australia’s 2023 World Cup winning captain Pat Cummins as their skipper for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Cummins, known for his stellar performances and leadership skills, takes over the captaincy from South African batter Aiden Markram.
The announcement was made on X (formerly Twitter) with SRH expressing excitement, stating, “OrangeArmy! Our new skipper Pat Cummins IPL2024.”
The 30-year-old bowling all-rounder was bought by SRH for a whopping Rs 20.5 crores in the IPL auction last year.
Known for his calm composure and several clutch spells and knocks under pressure, Cummins has led Australia in I15 ODIs, winning 12 and losing just three. He has also led Australia in 27 Tests, winning 16, drawing five and losing six. Key accomplishments of his captaincy carreer include winning the World Test Championship title and the 50-over World Cup, while also retaining the Ashes in the UK following a 2-2 draw against England.
Markram also has led South Africa in international cricket. As a youngster, he led South Africa to their maiden ICC U19 World Cup title in 2014. He he also won two SA20 titles with SRH’s sister franchise Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa. He captained SRH in the last season, but his stint was underwhelming as the team could win only four out of 14 matches and finished at the bottom of the points table.
SRH is set begin their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 23 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, as the 2024 season kicks off on March 22.
With Cummins at the helm of things, SRH will aim to make a strong statement in the cash-rich league.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) IPL 2024 squad: Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen, Mayank Agarwal, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Singh Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Sanvir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi Shahbaz Ahmed (traded from RCB), Travis Head, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Jhathavedh Subramanyan.