IPL 2023: Irfan Pathan picks Kane Williamson’s replacement for Sunrisers Hyderabad

The mini-auction ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is just a few days away, and all 10 franchises are buckling up to get the best deals on December 23 in Kochi. As many as 405 cricketers will go under the hammer this time around, which include 273 Indians and 132 overseas players.

All franchises have their own requirement and will look to explore all options in the auctions. Regarding an ideal captain, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will search for one player who can lead their side in the upcoming season. Notably, the 2016 IPL winners have parted ways with New Zealand’s Kane Williamson after the Black Caps star had a forgetful time in the previous edition of the cash-rich league.

Williamson was earlier retained by the Sunrisers for a whopping sum of INR 14 crore. The right-handed batter was one of three players retained by the Hyderabad-based franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. But due to his below-par performance in 2022, he was released by the Orange Army.

Now the bigger question is what options the Sunrisers have and whom they would bank on to lead their side. While the picture will clear after the auctions, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has claimed one name SRH would go for in the December 23 event.

Irfan has claimed that the former IPL champions might want to rope in opening batter Mayank Agarwal, who was also released from his captaincy by the Punjab Kings (PBKS). Irfan reckoned that Mayank could be an ideal choice for SRH as he is an aggressive opener and has experience of leading the side in the cash-rich league.

“SRH will go after Mayank Agarwal because they need a kind of aggressive opener as well. They don’t have Kane Williamson right now, who led them for many years as an experienced player and who used to open the innings as well. Mayank Agarwal is the kind of guy who has led a side, who plays quite freely as well, very fearless, and very selfless. They might be thinking of him going forward as a leader as well,” Pathan said while speaking on the Star Sports show Game Plan.

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December 20, 2022 at 01:05PM