The Hundred: Aiden Markram to captain Manchester Super Giants in 2026

South Africa's T20I captain Aiden Markram will lead Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred 2026. Coach Justin Langer lauded his leadership. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Leeds coach Daniel Vettori hopes Harry Brook will agree to captain his side.

Aiden Markram to Lead Manchester Super Giants

South Africa's T20I captain Aiden Markram is set to lead Manchester Super Giants (MSG) in The Hundred men's 2026 edition, as per ESPNcricinfo. Markram, who plays for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Durban Super Giants in the SA20, was picked up by Manchester Guper Giants for £200k.

Justin Langer, MSG's head coach, said that Markram was his "number one priority." Langer praised Aiden Markram, calling him a brilliant player, an outstanding person, and a strong leadership figure, adding that his captaincy qualities are one of the key reasons the team values him highly. "It's nice to have him (Aiden Markram) in three of our teams: brilliant player, outstanding human being, and also real captaincy material. That's one of the facets of his game that we love, his leadership," Justin Langer said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Uncertainty Over Harry Brook's Captaincy at Sunrisers Leeds

On the other hand, Sunrisers Leeds head coach Daniel Vettori expressed hope that England white-ball captain Harry Brook will lead Sunrisers Leeds. Earlier, Harry Brook during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup said that he was unlikely to continue as captain of Sunrisers Leeds in this year's The Hundred. However, Daniel Vettori said the team hopes to convince Brook to join them, adding that they will wait and see if he decides to come. "I think he likes the team, so maybe we can twist his arm and get him there. We'll just wait and see," Vettori said.

Sunrisers will face MI London in the opening match of the men's The Hundred on July 21, two days after England play their third ODI against India. The tournament final on August 16 is scheduled just three days before England begin their first Test against Pakistan.

Daniel Vettori said he understands Harry Brook's busy schedule, as he will join The Hundred only a day or two before the first game. Vettori added that captaincy duties can also be shared with experienced players like Mitchell Marsh, Dan Lawrence and Zak Crawley. "We understand Harry's commitments and how full on he is. He'll come [into the Hundred] on the back of a Test series and a white-ball series as well. He'll only be able to join up with us one or two days before the start of the [first] game. That'll be a conversation between himself and myself around whether he thinks he wants to do it. But the likes of Mitch Marsh, Dan Lawrence, Zak Crawley have all got captaincy experience as well. So we can lean on those guys too," Vettori said. (ANI)

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