Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has appointed former New Zealand paceman James Franklin as the fast bowling coach for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This move comes as legendary pacer Dale Steyn, who served as SRH's bowling coach for the last two seasons, decided to skip the next edition due to personal reasons.
During Steyn's tenure at SRH, he played a crucial role in nurturing young talents like Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Marco Jansen, Kartik Tyagi, and others, helping them make a mark on the big stage. SRH officially announced this coaching staff change on Monday via their social media account.
“Dale Steyn will not be joining us this season due to personal reasons, and James Franklin will be the Pace Bowling Coach for this season. Welcome on board, James! #IPL2024,” SRH posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
James Franklin, with a 13-year-long playing career with the New Zealand team, participated in 31 Tests, 110 ODIs, and 38 T20Is. He also represented Mumbai Indians in the IPL for two seasons in 2011 and 2012. Franklin brings coaching experience from Durham in English county cricket and as an assistant coach for Pakistan Super League team Islamabad United.
This marks Franklin's debut coaching stint in the Indian Premier League, where he will be assisting his former New Zealand teammate Daniel Vettori. Both Franklin and Vettori have previously collaborated at Middlesex in county cricket and Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred.
In anticipation of the upcoming season, Sunrisers Hyderabad has undergone significant changes in their team management and leadership. Daniel Vettori has been appointed as the head coach, succeeding Trevor Bayliss, while Australian pace sensation Pat Cummins will lead the team, taking over the captaincy from Aiden Markram.
