Former South Africa captain, AB de Villiers, expressed disappointment over Aiden Markram's removal as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain ahead of the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). SRH underwent significant changes in leadership and coaching roles for the upcoming season. Last August, they appointed Daniel Vettori as their head coach, and Pat Cummins was named captain earlier this week.
SRH made a substantial investment in Cummins, making him the second most expensive player in IPL history, acquiring him for a whopping INR 20.5 crore. Markram, despite leading Sunrisers Eastern Cape, a subsidiary of the franchise, to two consecutive SA20 titles, saw SRH finish at the bottom under his captaincy in IPL 2023. The former Proteas cricketer expressed his upset over Markram's removal but acknowledged SRH's decision to appoint Cummins.
“There's reason for him (Pat Cummins) to be captain in that team, even though it's a bit of a surprise to most people, a bit of an upset to me perhaps to see Aiden Markram being moved across and sort of just had to make way for Pat Cummins there, even though Aiden Markram has won back-to-back SA20 tournaments,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
The former Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketer noted that while Cummins is an excellent captain, the sacking of Markram was disappointing for him, and for all South African fans. However, he added that if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the SRH team, so be it.
“I think he's (Markram) a fantastic captain, and they were just getting used to him as captain there at the SRH. So, it is disappointing to me, to him, and to all South African fans, but if it is for the best of the SRH team, then so be it,” he added.
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Vettori's inclusion not a big surprise: de Villiers
The 40-year-old also pointed out the Aussie influence within the SRH camp, as their head coach Vettori is also a part of the Australian coaching staff apart from newly-appointed skipper Cummins.
“It's quite a surprise, but not a big surprise to me, thinking of the involvement of Daniel Vettori, who was with the Australian team. Also, we might see some involvement with Andrew McDonald. You just see a bit of an Australian flavour coming into that Sunrisers Hyderabad team,” he concluded.
from IPL Live Score | IPL News, IPL 2024 Updates, Squads & Results - CricTracker