IPL 2024: Former India captain banks on Pat Cummins to lead SRH in forthcoming season
IPL 2024: Former India captain banks on Pat Cummins to lead SRH during upcoming season
The countdown for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has officially begun with less than 40 days to go before the start of cricket’s biggest carnival. With eyes on big boys like Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, franchises will be poised to add the silverware of IPL glory to their ranks. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), having last tasted glory in 2016 under David Warner’s captaincy, are set for a new reign with Cummins being the high-profile acquisition for a record price of $2.5 million.
According to former India player and World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar, the Australian will lead the Orange Army from Hyderabad as they look to end their eight-year drought.
Cummins to lead SRH?
"I think Pat Cummins was a smart buy, maybe a little over-expensive. Smart buy because he will bring the leadership aspect to their team, which was lacking the last time around. Last time around, some of the bowling changes that we saw in crucial games were just head-scratching, and that cost them matches. So now with Pat Cummins coming in, I am pretty certain that he will be the captain of the team and that will make a huge difference," Gavaskar said while speaking to Star Sports.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have endured a tough last few seasons and have not made it to the playoffs since 2020. They finished rock bottom in the IPL 2023 which has seen them make a string of signings and changes ahead of the new season.
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Cummins in captaincy role with Australia
In a big tug-of-war during the IPL 2024 auctions in December, SRH secured the signing of Cummins who has proven his worth as a skipper. Since taking over the captaincy reign of the Australian cricket team in December 2021, the Aussie has flourished in his role, helping his side win the World Test Championship (WTC), the T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup. Interestingly, he was the captain of the Australian side during the WTC and ODI World Cup campaigns and could become the first and only captain to win the former two accolades and the T20 World Cup later in the year.
However, before heading to the World Cup, he will be charged to play and lead (not official yet) SRH as they try to mount a title challenge. The Hyderabad-based franchise has finished in the bottom three in each of the last three seasons adding insult to injury.
