IPL 2023: Bhuvneshwar to lead SRH in Markram's absence in opener against Rajasthan Royals

IPL 2023: Due to national commitments, Aiden Markram will not be available to lead SunRisers Hyderabad in its opening game. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be captaining the side in his absence.

Image credit: PTI

Former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be without its new skipper Aiden Markram in its opening contest of the 2023 Indian Premier  League (IPL) against fellow former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday as he will be busy with his national commitments for South Africa in the ongoing One-Day Internationals (ODIs) at home to The Netherlands.

On the same note, senior seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be back to lead the side for Sunday's opener. The Dutch series gets over on Sunday and is vital for the South Africans, given that they are still hunting for a direct qualification berth for the 2023 ICC World Cup, slated to be held in India through the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.

Markram will arrive in India on Monday, reports ESPNCricinfo. As for Bhuvneshwar, he has been with SRH since 2013, having led the side on seven occurrences (six in 2019 and once in 2022). Markram has replaced Kane Williamson as the captain this season, with the latter joining defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT).

Markram led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to championship conquest in the inaugural edition of the South Africa 20 (SA20). He was also the event's third-highest run-scorer, with 369 runs at a strike rate of 127, besides bagging 11 wickets at an economy of 6.19 as an off-spinner.

Besides Markram, Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen will also miss the SRH opener, with Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips, Adil Rashid, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Akeal Hosein being the only five foreign players available for the side.