Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has finalized their skipper for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and they have decided to go with South African batter Aiden Markram. He has attained tremendous success with the SRH’s sister franchise, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, and led them to the inaugural SA 20 title recently.
The 29-year-old will now take over from Kane Williamson, who was relieved by the franchise and went on to join defending champions Gujarat Titans during the IPL 2023 auction. Williamson had led the franchise for a total of three seasons. There were many contenders for the leadership role with Mayank Agarwal also being in the scheme of things.
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However, Markram has got the nod and will take over the former IPL Champions for the new season. Speaking ahead of the SA 20 final, Markram did express his interest in becoming the new SRH captain.
THE. WAIT. IS. OVER. ⏳#OrangeArmy, say hello to our new captain Aiden Markram 🧡#AidenMarkram #SRHCaptain #IPL2023 | @AidzMarkram pic.twitter.com/3kQelkd8CP
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) February 23, 2023
Describing the same, Aiden Markram said, “What’s going to happen, to be honest. Either way, we back the management’s decision about who they want to be in charge. Becoming the captain is not the be-all and end-all. You can be in some form of leadership role too.”
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He further added, “But I am okay with captaincy, it’s something that I enjoy doing. I have been captaining for a while before this tournament started. It’s been a nice experience, a fresh start, I would say.”
Aiden Markram amassed as many as 381 runs in 14 matches for SRH last season at an average of 47.63. Playing for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape side, the South African batter scored a century in the semi-final against the Jo’burg SuperKings to help them reach the final where they defeated the Pretoria Capitals to win the SA 20 title.
