Pat Cummins to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024

In a major announcement on Monday, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) revealed that Australian cricketer Pat Cummins will lead the team in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Cummins, who enjoyed a successful stint as the ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup-winning captain for Australia, takes over the captaincy from South African batsman Aiden Markram.

Cummins, acquired by SRH for a whopping Rs 20.5 crores in the previous IPL auctions, becomes the second-most expensive player in the league's history. The franchise officially shared the news on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), tweeting, "#OrangeArmy! Our new skipper Pat Cummins #IPL2024."

Known for his calm composure and remarkable performances under pressure, the 30-year-old pacer has an impressive captaincy record. He led Australia in 15 ODIs, securing victories in 12 matches while losing only three. In Test cricket Cummins captained the Australian side in 27 matches, winning 16, drawing five and losing six. Notable achievements include winning the WTC title the 50-over World Cup, and retaining the Ashes in the UK after a 2-2 draw against England.

Aiden Markram the outgoing captain, previously led South Africa in international cricket. His leadership accolades include guiding South Africa to their maiden ICC U19 World Cup title in 2014 and winning two SA20 titles with SRH's sister franchise Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa. However, Markram's captaincy for SRH in the last season was disappointing, as the team managed to win only four out of 14 matches, finishing at the bottom of the points table.

The IPL 2024 season is scheduled to commence on March 22 with SRH opening their campaign against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on March 23.
The complete SRH squad for IPL 2024 includes players like Abdul Samad, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and the newly appointed captain, Pat Cummins, among others. The team is gearing up for a competitive season under Cummins' leadership, aiming for a strong performance in the cash-rich league.