Sunrisers Hyderabad appoint Pat Cummins as new skipper

Having bought Pat Cummins for a massive sum of INR 20.50 crore, there was wide speculation that Sunrisers Hyderabad would name the Australian all-rounder as their captain. Ahead of the 2024 IPL season, the 2016 IPL winning franchise has confirmed that Cummins would replace Aiden Markram as the new captain. 

It was always on the cards, with Daniel Vettori being appointed as their head coach. But Markram’s performance as a captain at the 2024 SA20 might have made the decision not as straightforward. 

"India is like a second home. We spend so much time here. IPL you've got your home teams. So you actually feel like you've got plenty of fans Or, you know, at least cricket fans that have, you know, supported you or, you know, lots of people come up to me and say, Oh, I'm from Kolkata or I go for KKR. So it's nice feeling like not everyone's against you," Cummins said on Star Sports.

Under Cummins’ leadership, Australia tied the Ashes 2-2 in England after having won their first World Test Championship, besting India. Not only that, they also beat India in their own backyard in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Cummins’ leadership CV has been decorated and laced with several titles in just under two years. 

Making Cummins the captain allows Sunrisers to make changes to their strategies, where they can play Travis Head, Wanindu Hasaranga and Heinrich Klaasen as the three other overseas players. However, that wouldn't give them the opportunity to have the highest wicket-taker at the 2024 SA20 - Marco Jansen - in their setup.