Sunrisers Hyderabad have announced the appointment of Aiden Markram, the South African batsman, as their captain for the 2023 Indian Premier League season, succeeding Kane Williamson. Markram had recently led the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to victory in the inaugural SA20 tournament. He is also in contention to become South Africa’s T20 captain after Temba Bavuma stepped down.
Sunrisers Hyderabad had won the IPL title in 2016 and will feature Indian batsman Rahul Tripathi, seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spinner Washington Sundar in their squad for the 2023 tournament. The team has also recruited overseas players such as Proteas all-rounder Marco Jansen, New Zealand batsman Glenn Phillips and England spinner Adil Rashid.
Meanwhile, Australian batsman David Warner has been appointed as captain of the Delhi Capitals, with Indian all-rounder Axar Patel serving as vice-captain. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who led the Capitals in 2022, has been sidelined due to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
The Mumbai Indians hold the record for the most IPL titles with five wins, while the Chennai Super Kings have won the tournament thrice. The reigning champions are the Gujarat Titans, who defeated the Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 final.
The 2023 IPL will begin on 31 March and will be the 16th edition of the tournament. The opening match will see the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings face off at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Rajasthan Royals, captained by the legendary Shane Warne, had won the inaugural tournament in 2008.