Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are among a few fierce competitors in the IPL. Despite being the latecomers, they have won the title, which some teams still haven’t achieved yet.
But things weren’t rosy at the start. They had four different captains in the first two seasons! Then David Warner changed things around to make the franchise what it is today.
That said, here are the captains who’ve led Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL history.
1. Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara was SRH’s first captain in 2013. He had a credible record as Sri Lanka’s skipper, but that wasn’t the case with the IPL.
Sanga’s previous stints with Kings XI Punjab and Deccan Chargers weren’t fruitful. And the same was visible during his SRH tenure.
Sanga led Hyderabad in nine matches and stepped down midway through the season. SRH won five games under his leadership, while their campaign was a bit shaky.
2. Cameron White
After Sanga’s resignation, Cameron White took over the reins. The former Australian player led the team for the rest of the season.
White’s captaincy kept SRH in playoff contention. He ensured five wins in the next seven matches to help Hyderabad cruise into their first playoffs.
Although SRH lost in the Eliminator, White’s stint proved crucial to give SRH a decent start in the IPL.
3. Shikhar Dhawan
After not retaining White, SRH appointed Shikhar Dhawan as their new skipper in IPL 2014. Dhawan had little captaincy experience, though.
This proved tough for him as SRH struggled to make a mark. This also impacted his batting performance to some extent.
So the management decided to relieve Dhawan of the captaincy duties after 10 games. SRH managed to win four of those matches.
4. Daren Sammy
After Dhawan’s removal, SRH handed the charge to Daren Sammy. He led the team in the remaining four matches and won two of them.
5. David Warner
With four captains in two seasons, SRH needed stable leadership. And they zeroed in on David Warner.
As he took over the charge, things changed upside down. While SRH had an average season in 2015, the real deal came in 2016.
The Warner-led team made it to the playoffs and eventually lifted the trophy in their fourth season. The left-hander led from the front to pull off such a massive feat.
In no time, he became their backbone. Warner’s batting exploits and shrewd captaincy took SRH into back-to-back playoffs in 2017.
But then came the worst part of his life. After the ‘Sandpaper Gate,’ Warner received a season’s suspension, which resulted in him losing SRH captaincy.
He didn’t feature in 2018, while he played in 2019 purely as a batter. But he was back at the helm in 2020, as he guided SRH to Qualifier 2.
Then came his bad patch in 2021 with the bat, which led to his removal from SRH’s captaincy and eventually the squad. Nevertheless, Warner led them in 67 matches, with 35 victories.
6. Kane Williamson
When Warner didn’t play in 2018, SRH handed the task to Kane Williamson. He had enough experience leading New Zealand on the global stage.
And Williamson used all his expertise to power SRH to their second final. He also had a breakout season with 735 runs. While SRH failed to overcome the final hurdle, Williamson bagged the Orange Cap.
The Kiwi skipper continued his magic in 2019 as well. He took SRH to another playoffs, though they were knocked out of the Eliminator.
As Warner returned to the helm in 2020, he handed over the charge. But Williamson again assumed the charge halfway through the 2021 edition. SRH had a terrible season as they finished last on the points table.
The management retained Williamson for 2022, though SRH had an underwhelming season. In all, Williamson captained Hyderabad in 46 games and won 22 of them.
7. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a great association with SRH. He won the Purple Cap twice while turning up for them.
The Indian seamer had the opportunity to lead the team in Williamson’s absence in 2019. The stint was brief, though SRH won two games out of six.
Bhuvi then stood in once each in 2022 and 2023. On both occasions, SRH lost the games.
8. Manish Pandey
While Williamson and Bhuvi were captain and vice-captain in 2021, both were unavailable for SRH’s last league stage match. So Manish Pandey donned the captaincy hat for the one-off match.
He couldn’t do much in the game, as SRH lost another match to finish at the bottom.
9. Aiden Markram
After the poor 2022 season, SRH parted ways with Williamson. So they needed a new skipper.
And the franchise assigned Aiden Markram the job. Markram had impressed the management with his captaincy skills in the SA20 held earlier in 2023. His captaincy culminated in a title triumph for SRH’s sister franchise, Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Thus, the expectations were high. But Markram failed to deliver the expected performance. SRH bowed out of the league stage with four wins out of 14 matches.
10. Pat Cummins
Then came Pat Cummins in 2024, who lifted the team from the bottom. The Australian skipper returned to the IPL as a WTC and World Cup-winning captain.
So the hopes were high, and he delivered. Under Cummins’ aggressive stint, SRH stormed into the final.
Although SRH failed to lift the trophy, his captaincy gave a lot of confidence to every player. Fans expected another blockbuster season, but the same didn’t happen in 2025.
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