Former India batsman Aakash Chopra has extended his support to Aiden Markram, who was recently sacked as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2023, the South Africa star was named captain of SRH after Kane Williamson joined the Gujarat Titans.
Aiden Markram took charge of the team following his successful stint as captain of the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the inaugural edition of the SA20. He led the team from the front and guided them to the title. The right-handed batsman also finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer.
However, he could not replicate the success in the IPL. He failed to make a good impression either as a captain or as a batsman. SRH finished at the bottom of the points table with just four wins from 14 games. As a batsman, Aiden Markram managed a modest 248 runs in 13 games at an average of 22.55.
Aakash Chopra defends Aiden Markram:
While many expected SRH to give Aiden Markram another season as captain, especially after he also led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the title at SA20 2024, the Hyderabad-based team decided otherwise. On Monday (March 4), they announced Pat Cummins as the team captain.
With Markram sacked, Aakash Chopra jumped to his defense and said that the South African did not have the best environment to function as captain. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Chopra began by highlighting Markram’s success as captain in SA20 before saying that the Proteas star led SRH when there was very little clarity.
“There is a player named Aiden Markram who benefited the SunRisers franchise a lot. He made the Sunrisers Eastern Cape champions for two consecutive years in the SA20 league. However, here he has been removed from the captaincy. He was captain for a year in total where I felt there was a lot of confusion,” he said.
“He didn’t know what was happening. He was sometimes asked where Umran Malik was and he replied that he did not know and that the person who formed the team should be asked about it. That’s where he was, but now he’s been sidelined,” Chopra added.
Markram will look to put the dismissal behind him and prove his worth as a batsman in IPL 2024, which is scheduled to start on March 22. SRH will open their campaign on March 23 against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens./ =