3 times SRH made headlines due to a cryptic statement by their captain
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) joined the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the year 2013. They entered the league as the new ninth team after the exit of Deccan Chargers.
SRH impressed straightaway as they qualified for the playoffs in their debut season itself. Despite having a comparatively weaker batting lineup, Hyderabad finished in the top 4 of the points table and qualified for the playoffs in the 2013 edition of the league.
Hyderabad failed to make it to to the next round in 2014 and 2015, but they built a streak of finishing in the top 4 from 2016 to 2020. The Orange Army not only qualified for the playoffs in those five seasons, but they also made it to the finals twice, winning the trophy in 2016 and finishing as the runners-up in 2018.
With their supreme consistency, Sunrisers Hyderabad established themselves as one of the best performing teams in the league. There were rarely any controversies involving the Orange Army as well, which helped them build a massive fan-base.
However, SRH's stocks have declined a bit in the last three years. The ouster of David Warner, the man who led them to the title in 2016, Kane Williamson, their number one retention in IPL 2022 and Rashid Khan, the team's best spinner, raised quite a few questions.
Hyderabad also gained fans' attention when their new assistant coach Simon Katich left the team even before the IPL 2022 season began due to a reported fallout with the rest of the group.
Apart from the aforementioned controversies, SRH have also grabbed the limelight for the wrong reasons due to the following statements made by their captains.
#1 Aiden Markram's puzzling comment on Umran Malik's absence in SRH's playing XI
Last night during the IPL 2023 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Ian Bishop asked captain Aiden Markram whether their express pacer Umran Malik was playing.
It is a bit worrisome when the captain says "I don't know what is about behind the scenes......" I have been perplexed about Umran Malik not getting a game too.
Markram surprisingly stated that he sees Malik as an 'X-factor' player, but he did not know what happened 'behind the scenes' in his team. Despite being the team's captain, Markram did not know the real reason why Malik was absent from the playing XI.
"I don't really know what's happening with him behind the scenes," the Sunrisers Hyderabad captain commented.
#2 Another cryptic comment from Aiden Markram
Last night was not the first time Markram's comments drew the attention of the fans. After SRH were eliminated from the race to the IPL 2023 playoffs with a loss against the Gujarat Titans on Monday evening, Markram said in his post-match interview that he would give more chances to benched players if 'he is allowed'.
"A lot of pride for us to play for. We'll try to give some opportunities if we're allowed to," Markram was quoted as saying by Republic World.
Is this the reason why SRH had a tough IPL 2023 season?
#ipl #srhvsgt #aidenmarkram
republicworld.com/sports-news/ip…
#3 David Warner publicly questions SRH's decision to leave out Manish Pandey
David Warner captained Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first few matches of IPL 2021. The team did not perform well under him and remained in the lower half of the points table.
After SRH's loss against Delhi Capitals, Warner took a shot at the officials who selected Hyderabad's playing XI and said it was harsh to drop an experienced batter like Manish Pandey.
"It depends on the selectors; it was a harsh call as per my opinion (on leaving out Manish Pandey). But at the end of the day, it is a decision that they took," Warner said.
Soon after, Sunrisers removed Warner as the captain and even dropped him from their playing XI. Kane Williamson was named the team's captain for the rest of the season.