In a surprising twist, Sunrisers Hyderabad has named Pat Cummins as their new captain, taking over the role from Aiden Markram for the upcoming IPL 2024 season.
Irfan Pathan has expressed disappointment regarding the decision to appoint Pat Cummins as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Despite Cummins’ outstanding performance in 2023, where he led Australia to victories in the ICC World Test Championship and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, as well as excelling in the Ashes series, Pathan seems to question SRH’s choice.
In the IPL 2024 auction held in Dubai, Sunrisers Hyderabad secured Cummins for a whopping ₹20.50 crore, making a significant investment in the Australian cricketer who was also honored as the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2023. Despite these accolades, Irfan Pathan’s doubts linger over Cummins’ captaincy for SRH in the upcoming season.
Pathan expressed doubts about Cummins’ suitability as a T20 leader, pointing out that he lacks impressive credentials for the role and hasn’t shown a strong track record in the IPL.
“When you talk about leadership, you wouldn’t want to think beyond Cummins ideally. Australia just won the World Cup under him, he’s performed really well in the last one and a half years. But the problem is that Cummins will look nice overall. However, when it comes to T20 leadership, there’s nothing. His performance isn’t the greatest in T20 cricket and his IPL numbers aren’t decent either,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
Continuing the discussion, Pathan raised concerns about the decision of the SRH management to drop Aiden Markram following a single disappointing season. He underscored the importance of supporting captains even when they face challenges, emphasizing the need for continuity in such situations.
“So there will be a challenge. What is SRH thinking? They’ve made a big move here. If Cummins is made captain, what about Markram? You gave him captaincy just for one year, so wouldn’t you want to back him? That is a big question,” he added.
“If they both play, [Wanindu] Hasaranga will struggle to make his place in the team. Even Marco Jansen could sit out because there are too many overseas players. So there are a lot of issues. SRH need to figure out what they have to do because even Klaasen is an overseas player. And I want personally that Hasaranga becomes part of that Playing XI. Forget leadership, how will Cummins perform as a bowler? That remains to be seen,” he said.
Cummins has taken 45 wickets in the 42 matches he has played in the IPL, maintaining an average of 30.16 and an economy rate of 8.54. Additionally, he has scored 379 runs in these matches, boasting a strike rate of 152.21 and achieving three half-centuries in the process.
The IPL 2024 is set to kick off on March 22, featuring an exciting opening match between the reigning champions, Chennai Super Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Simultaneously, Sunrisers Hyderabad will embark on their IPL 2024 journey, facing off against the Kolkata Knight Riders on March 23 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
