IPL 2022: 3 Players who can replace Kane Williamson as captain in SRH's final league game

The Sunrisers camp will be without their influential captain, Kane Williamson, for their all-important final league game against Punjab Kings on Sunday (May 22). The New Zealand skipper has endured a torrid time with the bat this season, but he has marshaled the troops well and will be a big miss for the franchise as they head into the business end of the tournament. Notably, Williamson has headed back to New Zealand for the birth on his second child.

Williamson took over the captaincy role from David Warner last season as the southpaw endured a torrid time with the bat. This wasn’t the first time that Williamson took charge of the franchise as he captained the side in 2018, leading them to the final and finishing the season as the leading run-scorer. He also had spells as captain in the 2019 and 2021 seasons.

Although his batting hasn’t helped SRH’s cause, he has been influential in other areas of the team as his faith in players like Rahul Tripathi and Umran Malik has paid dividends, and his calming demeanor is a bonus for youngsters in the team. His absence will be a big miss for the Sunrisers Hyderabad as his leadership skills in the game are unparalleled.

Here we take a look at the possible replacements for Kane Williamson:

1. Bhuvenshwar Kumar

One of the mainstays of the SRH franchise, Bhuvenshwar Kumar, is one of the biggest assets of the team, the most experienced player in the squad in terms of games played in the IPL, having appeared in over 140 games in the competition. He became the first Indian pacer to scalp 150 wickets in the IPL in April 2022.

Bhuvneshwar has made a great comeback in this year’s tournament as he is one of the best death bowlers in IPL 2022. His expertise was once again on show on Tuesday night as he bowled a wicket maiden in the 19th over against Mumbai Indians to give Sunriser’s chances a big boost.

Bhuvneswar is no stranger to leadership roles as he has captained the franchise before in the absence of Kane Williamson in 2019. The Indian quick has also served as vice-captain for the Sri Lanka tour in 2019. His experience will greatly benefit the squad as he has played a lot under Virat Kohli, David Warner, and Kane Williamson.