The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has been a hotbed of discussion, particularly with the surprising leadership changes in the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team. The decision to replace Aiden Markram with Pat Cummins as the team’s captain has sparked a wave of reactions, most notably from former South Africa captain, AB de Villiers.
#OrangeArmy! Our new skipper Pat Cummins 🧡#IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/ODNY9pdlEf
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 4, 2024
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. This led to the decision to appoint Cummins, who was acquired for a whopping INR 20.5 crore, making him the second most expensive player in IPL history.
AB De Villiers reacts on Markram’s snub
In a Youtube Video, De Villiers expressed his disappointment over Markram’s removal but acknowledged SRH’s decision to appoint Cummins.
He stated, “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”.
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.
He further added, “I think he’s 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”.
De Villiers also hinted at the involvement of Daniel Vettori, the new SRH head coach, who has worked closely with Cummins during his stint as Australia’s bowling coach.
“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.
