IPL 2022: Three contenders for SRH captaincy after Kane Williamson exit
IPL 2022 is nearing its completion as all teams have just one match remaining. At this juncture, while one team (Gujarat Titans) is certain of its qualification, two teams - MI and CSK - are out of this race. But the other seven IPL teams are in a dog-fight for the ages, each with its own route for qualification.
SunRisers Hyderabad, despite their win against MI after five consecutive losses, are at the lower end of the spectrum of probability for qualification into the next round.
While they absolutely need a win in their final league game of IPL 2022, they will need multiple other results to go their way, to even have a sniff at qualification.
It is at this crucial juncture that their captain Kane Williamson has to depart for the birth of his child. Some might even call it a blessing in disguise, considering Kane's batting returns in IPL 2022.
But whatever his flaws in batting, Williamson is one of the sharpest captains in the modern game. And finding his replacement will not be an easy task.
So here are three contenders to become SRH captain for the rest of the season:
#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
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What a fantastic penultimate over by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Consistently bowling good in death overs. Kudos to him. #SRHvsMI #TATAIPL https://t.co/fdIUPw8GLK
Let’s start with the obvious choice. Former captain of SRH, Bhuvneshwar knows the franchise inside out. Having led the Orange Army in six matches of IPL 2019, Bhuvi knows what it takes to captain an IPL side.
So, he could be a good choice for a make-shift captain. It might be an easier option than finding a new captain at the fag end of IPL 2022.
What does not work in his favor, though, is that he won only two of the six matches in which he captained SRH. As the skipper, Bhuvneshwar lacked proactivity, and his own bowling performances were hampered too.
While we do not see a lot of bowling captains in IPL or T20 cricket, having one would definitely be an exciting prospect. And it would be a just reward for someone who has served the IPL and his franchise well for such a long period of time.
#2 Nicholas Pooran
The newly appointed captain of the West Indies T20 team, Nicholas Pooran would definitely be in the reckoning for the SRH captaincy. The captain of Guyana Amazon Warriors in CPL 2021, Pooran has enough captaincy experience in the shortest version of the game.
He also led the West Indies in Pakistan last year in the absence of Keiron Pollard. With Kane Williamson's diminishing batting and captaincy returns for SRH, they might also consider Pooran for permanent captaincy come IPL 2023. His form too has improved in IPL 2022, compared to his horror days at PBKS.
What works in Pooran's favor, apart from being an explosive T20 hitter, is that age is on his side. At 26, Pooran can serve as SRH captain for a long period of time.
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#3 Priyam Garg
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I don’t know if god is a sport fan or not , but I do know this : he loves a good comeback 💪🏻 https://t.co/ayBDsMNV9P
All cricket fans love good comebacks and Priyam Garg made a fine comeback when he played his first game for SRH in IPL 2022 against MI.
Given the responsibility of opening after Williamson failed to deliver repeatedly throughout the season, Garg came into his own with an innings of 42 (26). This included a scorching pull for six off Daniel Sams.
Garg had earlier failed to impress in his short IPL career. However, he has not received the kind of opportunities his talent deserves. Not a finisher by vocation, he has been forced to go hard from the first ball, coming in at the latter stages of the innings many times.
While Garg has only played one match in IPL 2022, he could be a solid captaincy candidate for SRH in the future. The SunRisers would like to try him out in the remaining matches of IPL 2022.
He led India to the finals of the 2020 U-19 World Cup, and captained Uttar Pradesh in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy in 2021. So, Garg has the most captaincy experience among all the candidates, despite his young years in the game. That's a big positive.