"I see 2 candidates already" - Irfan Pathan not satisfied with SRH's decision to appoint non-Indian skipper ahead of IPL 2023

Irfan Pathan has opined that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) should have opted for an Indian skipper in IPL 2023. The former all-rounder believes that the Hyderabad-based franchise had two great Indian options in their roster, and should have utilized one of them.

Earlier today, SRH named South African star Aiden Markram as their new captain for IPL 2023. Markram recently led SRH's sister franchise Sunrisers Eastern Cape to glory in SA20 2023. Furthermore, he has led the Proteas national team on few occasions as well.

A majority of the fans lauded the team management for their decision, but Pathan seemed dissatisfied. Taking to Twitter, the 38-year-old wrote:

"I would have pushed for Indian captain. I see two candidates already. #ipl #SRH."

While Pathan did not name any players in his tweet, he might have been hinting at Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mayank Agarwal. The two Indian stars have a ton of IPL experience under their belts. Besides, Kumar and Agarwal have captained Sunisers and Punjab Kings respectively in the recent past.

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Aiden Markram is not the 1st overseas SRH captain

South Africa v England - 2nd One Day International (Image: Getty)

Sunrisers Hyderabad joined the cash-rich league in 2013, and since then, a majority of their full-time captains have been foreign players. Kumar Sangakkara was the first captain of the franchise, followed by Cameron White, Daren Sammy, David Warner and Kane Williamson.

Shikhar Dhawan was the team's skipper for a few matches, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Manish Pandey led the team in the absence of the regular skippers. Aiden Markram will be the first South African player to lead the Hyderabad-based franchise in the IPL.

It will be interesting to see how the Orange Army performs under their new skipper.