New IPL captain Markram a step closer to Proteas T20 captaincy?

Aiden Markram may have taken a step closer to being named Proteas T20 captain following his appointment as team leader of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

Markram was announced as the Sunrisers’ captain in place of Kane Williamson on Thursday.

The 28-year-old South African batter recently led the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the SA20 title where he finished as the tournament’s third-best run-scorer.

Markram was also named afterwards as the player of the competition.

Williamson was released by the Sunrisers prior to the annual auction at the end of last year.

Markram and India players Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mayank Agarwal were the three players in the running for the Sunrisers Hyderabad captaincy.

Markram in SA20

The side will be coached by Brian Lara, who was also involved with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, this season.

Markram scored 369 runs in the SA20 at a strike rate of 127, including one century, and he also bagged 11 wickets with his spin bowling.

The 2023 IPL season gets underway on March 31. It will be the 16th edition of the Twenty20 competition.

Proteas role

Markram briefly captained the Proteas ODI team in five matches in 2018 but he more recently showed his worth in Twenty20 cricket and with the national team’s captaincy available the 28-year-old could soon be announced new T20 captain.

Temba Bavuma led the Proteas T20 side for two years, but gave up his role recently after being named Test captain. He will also lead thee ODI side.

Cricket South Africa recently stated they would make an announcement soon regarding the leadership of the T20 side, which will be coached by Rob Walter.