After Rohit, Another Captain Of Ex-Champion May Face The Axe: Report

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise SunRisers Hyderabad is expected to change its captain ahead of the 2024 edition, said Cricbuzz in a report. The 17th edition of IPL is set to kick off on March 22. Ahead of the tournament, Aiden Markram, who led SRH in 2023, is expected to be sacked from captaincy with Australia captain Pat Cummins replacing him in the role, the report explained. It is worth noting that under Cummins' captaincy, Australia beat India in both the World Test Championship final and Cricket World Cup final last year.

If this report turns out to be true, it would be another big change in captaincy in IPL. In December last year, five-time champions Mumbai Indians had replaced Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya in the captaincy role.

Former New Zealand left-arm pacer James Franklin is likely to replace Dale Steyn as Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach in the upcoming IPL, beginning on March 22.

Steyn, a former South African fast bowler, who took over as SRH bowling coach in 2022, has requested the franchise to give him a break for this season owing to personal reasons.

"We are in talks with him (Franklin) as Dale Steyn will not be available for this season," an IPL source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The 43-year-old had earlier played for Mumbai Indians in the 2011 and 2021 seasons, but this is his maiden stint as coach in the IPL.

Franklin, however, has coaching experience with Durham in English county cricket and Pakistan Super League team Islamabad United as assistant coach.

At SRH, Franklin will link up with his former teammate Daniel Vettori, who was appointed as the team's head coach after IPL 2023.

Earlier, they have worked together at Middlesex in county cricket as well as with Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred.

Franklin has played 31 Tests, 110 ODIs and 38 T20Is for New Zealand between 2001 and 2013.

(With PTI Inputs)