Who is likely to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in the next season?

During the 2023 IPL retention and trading window, Sunrisers Hyderabad released their captain Kane Williamson after a poor run in the T20 World Cup. 

The 32-year-old is the second most successful captain for the Hyderabad franchise. After David Warner was banned from the IPL in 2018, Kane Williamson was given the captaincy and did not disappoint. He led the team as a leader, taking the team to the finals, and had a successful season with the bat, scoring 735 runs in 17 innings, with an average of 52.50 while having a strike rate of 142.44. 

“That’s the way it goes, I had a really enjoyable time at SRH, and I have a lot of fond memories. It wasn’t a surprise when it [retention list] was officially released,”

- Kane Williamson

Williamson had stints of captaincy in the 2019 and 2021 seasons and captained SRH for the full season in 2022.

Kane Williamson Captaincy Record in the IPL

Since Kane Williamson has been released from Sunrisers Hyderabad,

Who is likely to lead SRH in the next season?

1) Aiden Markram (South Africa)

Aiden Markram has been one of the most consistent all-rounders in the T20 circuit, whether it's for South Africa, SRH, or any other T20 franchise in the world. The 28-year-old has had experience in captaincy as he was the U19 captain for South Africa in the 2014 U-19 World Cup and led his side to victory. He was also awarded the man of the series for his contributions with the bat.

Markram is also groomed to be the next captain of South Africa, so he is the most likely candidate to be the next captain of SRH.

2) Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)

Ever since making his debut for SRH in 2014, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been one of the most successful bowlers for Hyderabad. The 32-year-old has won the purple cap twice and has taken over 130 wickets while donning the orange colors. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has also captained SRH for a few matches in the absence of Kane Williamson and is a likely candidate to be the captain for SRH in the coming seasons.

3) Ben Stokes (England)

Making his IPL debut in 2017, Ben Stokes has had a successful IPL career so far, contributing with the bat, ball, and field. The 31-year-old is expected to go for big money in the IPL auction and with SRH having the highest purse in the IPL (42 crores), he is a likely candidate to be the next captain for SRH as he has shown by captaining England in tests, he can be a great leader.

4) Jason Holder (West Indies)

Coming in as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh in the 2020 IPL, Jason Holder was one of the key performers for SRH, contributing with the bat, ball, and field. The West Indian all-rounder has also had tons of captaincy experience, captaining the West Indies test and ODI sides for over 4 years. SRH will be looking for a new captain while finding problems to fix their middle-order woes and Jason Holder is a good candidate to fill those roles.

Do you agree with our list? Who do you think will be the next captain for SRH? Leave your comments down below and don't forget to stay tuned to Sportco for more content.