SRH: The 2016 IPL champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad, finished in 8th place in last IPL. They won only six games in the 14 matches they played last season. Five of their six victories came back-to-back, and then they totally lost the plot. That is why the franchise has made some tough calls ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. And now they are currently without a captain.
However, the franchise hasn’t announced a captain until now. That means they will look to pick a player in the auction who can lead the team in the 16th edition of the cash-rich league. Although the upcoming auction will have some players with captaincy experience. And in this article, we will talk about three ideal candidates to replace Williamson as SRH skipper.
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
If the franchise decides to pick the captain from the current team, then there are a few players that can do this job. One of them is the veteran Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bhuvi has done some captaining for SRH in the IPL. In fact, he led the Orange Army in the last game of the 2022 season, when Williamson went back to his home for the birth of his child. And it might not be any surprise if the franchise gives him captaincy responsibility.
On the other hand, being a senior player, everyone respects him pretty well. Although his IPL captaincy record is not that good. He has led seven games in the cash-rich league and has only two wins under his belt. On the other hand, his form is also not that good. But retaining him ahead of the auction means that the management has trust in him. And with his legacy with the team, Bhuvi might become the next captain for SRH.
2. Jason Holder
Former West Indian captain, and one of the best all-rounder Jason Holder will also feature in the upcoming auction. His franchise, the Lucknow Super Giants, released him, which came as a surprise to many. But with him in the auction, there will be a few franchises that would love to have him on their team. Sunrisers Hyderabad will be among them as well, knowing how effective Holder can be in this format.
Holder already has enough experience leading the West Indies at the highest level. He is a good reader of the game, and as an all-rounder, he can chip in with both departments. And with his stint with SRH, he also did well for the franchise. Overall, in his career, he has played 38 games, taken 49 wickets, and scored 247 runs at a strike rate of 123.50.
1. Ben Stokes
If it is about picking a current international captain with good form, only one name makes this list. And he is English Test captain Ben Stokes, arguably the best modern-day all-rounder. The 31-year-old skipped the last season due to a break from cricket. But some reports have confirmed that he will be looking to enter his name in the upcoming auction. Thus, he will be the hottest property to buy at the auction.
And with the way he performed in the 2022 T20 World Cup, everyone wants to see him in the IPL. Apart from being an incredible 3D player, he also proved that he is a great leader as well. Under his leadership, England has been unstoppable in test cricket. Thus, his inclusion in the team might boost SRH’s performance. The most important thing, after releasing Williamson and Nicholas Pooran, SRH has added almost INR 25 crore to their bank account, so they can go hard for Stokes as compared to other franchises.