Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has decided not to return to the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In a recent announcement on social media, Steyn expressed his gratitude to the SRH management and revealed that he will be continuing his association with the franchise’s offshoot in the SA20 league, Sunrisers Eastern Cape. The team is aiming for a third consecutive title after winning the first two editions.
Steyn, who served as the bowling coach for SRH in the 2022 season, had a successful stint with the franchise. He played a crucial role in mentoring young talents like Umran Malik during his time with the team. Despite missing out on the 2024 season due to personal reasons, Steyn was retained by the franchise when they revamped their coaching staff, with Daniel Vettori taking over as head coach.
However, Steyn’s decision to step down prompted SRH to appoint former New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin as his replacement. Franklin, who has previously worked with Vettori during their time with the Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, is expected to bring a wealth of experience to the team.
In other news, SRH is finalizing their list of player retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Heinrich Klaasen is set to be retained for INR 23 crore, followed by skipper Pat Cummins for INR 18 crore and Abhishek Sharma for INR 14 crore. Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy are likely to be the remaining two players retained before the auction.
Overall, Steyn’s departure will be a loss for SRH, but the team is looking forward to the upcoming season with a renewed coaching staff and a strong core group of players.
