'Problem of Plenty': Ashwin expresses big surprise at Pat Cummins as SRH skipper for IPL 2024

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their third T20 encounter of the season, which will take place at Eden Gardens. With a slim win probability edge, Sunrisers Hyderabad will want to pose a stiff challenge to KKR, who will capitalise on their home advantage. The match will include prominent players like as Shreyas Iyer and Pat Cummins, assuring an exciting and competitive battle.

Also Read: Manish Pandey hits Andre Russell for a six in front of Gambhir

R Ashwin is shocked by SRH’s decision to make Pat Cummins the captain

The unexpected development that Pat Cummins would lead Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season is noteworthy. Cummins has never captained a T20 squad in his career, so this is a big change from his prior experiences.

Many were taken aback by the choice to choose Cummins captain, especially in light of Aiden Markram's previous success in leadership positions. Markram appeared to be an obvious option to remain as captain for SRH after leading Sunrisers Eastern Cape to back-to-back SA20 titles.

Following the IPL auction, where Sunrisers Hyderabad paid an incredible INR 20.50 crore to get Cummins' services, the news of his captaincy broke. With this accomplishment, Cummins became the first player in the history of the IPL auction to fetch a price tag more than 20 crore rupees. Experienced IPL player Ravichandran Ashwin voiced his shock at Cummins being named captain instead of Markram. Markram guided Sunrisers Eastern Cape to back-to-back SA20 title titles during his productive time there, as Ashwin noted. Speaking on his YouTube channel Ashwin said:

"Sunrisers have hit two titles back to back at the SA20. They’ve done it with two extraordinary teams. I was quite shocked, actually. They have made Pat Cummins the captain. I was having a small hunch that they would go with Markram,”
“Markram had an extraordinary season for his franchise in the SA20. The cross-pollination would have been amazing,”

"Pat Cummins is a no-brainer. But with Cummins as a captain, they will have a problem of plenty in the team with so many stars. Keeping Travis Head as backup, they would go for Markram, Pat Cummins, (Heinrich) Klaasen, and (Wanindu) Hasaranga.

“Because Hasaranga is a crucial facet for them. If they decide Hasaranga is not needed, in some venues they can play (Fazalhaq) Farooqi or Marco Jansen instead of him. This is what I thought because it makes sense,"