Sunrisers Hyderabad name South African Aiden Markram as their Captain for IPL 2023

IPL 2023: South African all-rounder player, Aiden Markram has been named as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023). The franchise confirmed the development on Thursday (23rd February 2023).

Aiden Markram will succeed Kane Williamson as the leader of the IPL 2016 winning franchise after SRH decided against retaining the acclaimed Kiwi cricketer ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.

“THE. WAIT. IS. OVER. #OrangeArmy, say hello to our new captain Aiden Markram,” SRH announce on its social media handles.

Interestingly, the aforementioned development has come as a surprise to the fans and experts, who reckon SRH overlooked the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mayank Agarwal to choose an overseas skipper for the team in IPL 2023.

It is important to note that both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mayank Agarwal possess prior captaincy experience. While the former cricketer has led SRH in the previous seasons of the IPL as a stand-in captain, Mayank Agarwal was the skipper of Punjab Kings (PBKS) during IPL 2022.

However, to prove his credibility against the likes of Bhuvneshwar and Mayank Agarwal, Protea all-rounder Aiden Markram recently took Sunrisers Eastern Cape, a sister franchise of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), to the title victory in the inaugural season of the SA20 league.

It is understood that SRH must have zeroed in on the appointment of Aiden Markram as the captain of the side in IPL 2023 following his title-winning run in the SA20 league with Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

The right-handed batter made his IPL debut with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2021, but a year later he was purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the auction by shelling INR 2.60 Crores.

During his short career in the IPL so far, Aiden Markram has impressed one and all with his ability to score runs even in the tough phases. In 20 innings, the Protea batter has scored 527 runs at a strike rate of 134 and at an impressive average of 40.54.

“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. 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 had said when asked about his desire to lead a side in the IPL.

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