IPL 2023 Auction: Kane Williamson released by SunRisers Hyderabad

IPL 2023 Auction: Teams are looking to prepare the best side before the next season with some minor reshuffling. Meanwhile, SunRisers Hyderabad has released its skipper Kane Williamson.

Image credit: IPL

In what comes as a shock, former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) has released its skipper and its Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022's most expensive player, Kane Williamson of New Zealand, ahead of the IPL 2023 mini-auction. He was associated with the franchise for the last eight years, scoring 2,101 runs in 76 games at a decent average of 36.22 and a strike rate of 126.03. He also led the side in 46 contests but without any title success. His release frees up a vast space in the auction purse as it looks to hire a new leader, especially since SRH finished eighth last season.

During the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, Williamson was retained for ₹14 crore, along with Abdul Samad and Umran Malik for ₹4 crore each. The Kiwi's retention forced SRH to part ways with Afghanistan leg-spinner, who reportedly wanted to be the franchise's first retention, having been its serial match-winner in the past few years.

Under Williamson, SRH qualified for the IPL 2018 final, when regular skipper David Warner was serving a ban by Cricket Australia, losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The New Zealander was the highest run-scorer of the season, assembling 735 at 52.50 and 142.44. While Warner's relationship with SRH died out, Williamson became its full-time leader.

IPL 2022 was a struggle for Williamson, as he nursed a problematic elbow condition. He scored 216 in 13 innings at just  19.63 and 93.50. He has the lowest strike rate among the batters, who had faced 100 deliveries during the season. Consequently, it also affected SRH's performance during the season big time.