Bhuveneshwar Kumar to captain in the opening game against Chennai

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is set to don the captaincy hat for Hyderabad in absence of regular skipper Aiden Markram in their opening match against Rajasthan. 

Aiden Markram is in South Africa for the two match series against Netherlands and will only arrive in India after the conclusion of the series i.e. April 3. The series is essential for South Africa’s direct qualification for the upcoming ODI World Series. The Proteas need to win both the ODIs against Netherlands (without over rate penalties) and then hope Ireland lose at least an ODI against Bangladesh in a three match series in May. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been with the Hyderabad franchise since their inception in 2013, and has led them on seven occasions in the past. The men in orange have won two of those seven contests. 

After finishing eighth last in 2022, Hyderabad have remoulded their squad ahead of this season. They made one of the boldest decisions by releasing their then captain Kane Williamson and handing over the duties to Makram. 

Markram recently led Eastern Cape to their inaugural SA20 title, where he was also tournament’s third highest run getter, aggregating 369 runs at a strike rate of 127. He also claimed 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.19. 

Besides Makram, Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klassen will also be unavailable for Hyderabad's opening fixture. With only five overseas players available- Harry Brook, Glen Phillips, Adil Rashid, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Akeal Hosein, the Hyderabad think tank will have an arduous task of picking the suitable four. 

Hyderabad’s second game is on April 7, against Lucknow in Lucknow.