Big blow to Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2024, South African legend asks for a break: Report

In a major blow for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) just a few weeks ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, legendary South African pacer Dale Steyn has requested the franchise for a break from coaching duties.
 

Steyn was expected to rejoin the franchise this season but according to a report by Cricbuzz, he has informed SRH's management about his decision. As a result, SRH are now searching for a new bowling coach. Head coach Daniel Vettori is expected to look for a new candidate to replace Steyn.
 

Steyn made his IPL debut for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers. He played for SRH as well. Later, he had a brief stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) before returning to SRH as bowling coach in the 2022 edition.
 

The 40-year-old is said to have helped Jammu & Kashmir speedster Umran Malik who was recently among the list of five bowlers who earned Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) fast bowler central contract. 
 

Steyn has played 95 IPL games picking up 97 wickets. His economy rate was an impressive 6.92 runs per over.
 

Meanwhile, SRH are yet to announce their skipper for the upcoming season. Their most expensive pick in the IPL mini-auction was Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins who they roped in for Rs 20.5 crore.
 

SRH’s schedule for IPL 2024

SRH will begin their IPL 2024 campaign against two-time IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 23 at Eden Gardens. In the initial schedule announced by the BCCI, SRH have a total of four games. Their home games are against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 27 and April 5 respectively. Their other away game is against Gujarat Titans on March 31.

ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu pay the price for wrong call at coin toss; Shankar, Sundar's gritty knocks save them from embarrassment in Ranji Trophy semi-final
 

SRH squad for IPL 2024

Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Heinrich Klaasen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, T. Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Mayank Markande, Upendra Singh Yadav, Umran Malik, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Travis Head, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Jhathavedh Subramanyan.
 

MORE ON SPORTS TAK:

Gautam Gambhir leaves politics for this tournament, thanks PM Modi in a heartfelt post, says ‘..so that I can focus on cricket’
Mumbai Indians legend leaves PSL 2024 midway to return to India, Here’s why?