Former NZ all-rounder Daniel Vettori appointed as SRH head coach
Sunrisers has had a lean run in IPL in the 2020s decade. From 2016 to 2020, SRH reached in playoffs every season but they have failed to replicate that success in this decade.
Daniel Vettori (ANI)
HYDERABAD: Former New Zealand all-rounder Daniel Vettori has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, announced the team on Monday. SRH took to Twitter to make the announcement. Vettori replaces Brian Lara, who was with the side in 2023 as a coach.
Sunrisers has had a lean run in IPL in the 2020s decade. From 2016 to 2020, SRH reached in playoffs every season but they have failed to replicate that success in this decade. After achieving a playoff finish in 2020, they have found themselves near the bottom of the table or the bottom in later years. Since IPL 2021, they have won only 13 games and lost 29.
In the late 2010s and the decade of 2020s, SRH has performed very inconsistently in IPL and has changed its coach numerous times. The latest change means that SRH will have its fourth coach in six seasons, with Tom Moody (2019 and 2022) taking the side to the playoffs in 2019 and experiencing a league-stage exit in 2022, finishing eighth out of 10 teams. Trevor Bayliss coached the side from 2020-21, leading the team into the playoffs in 2020 and an eighth-place finish in the next tournament. Under Lara, SRH underperformed despite having some strong names like Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen, Glenn Phillips, Marco Jansen and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The team finished last in the tournament in 10th spot, winning only four out of 14 matches. Vettori, who has replaced Lara as a coach, has a decent amount of coaching experience in IPL. He was previously the coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from 2014 to 2018 and is currently working as an assistant coach with the Australian men's team.
He is also currently coaching the Birmingham Phoenix team in the men's Hundred competition and since May 2022, he has been with the Australian men's side. Vettori has also coached Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and with Middlesex in the Vitality Blast. He has also had a stint with Bangladesh's men's side as a spin-bowling consultant. During his run with RCB in the IPL, he helped the Red and Gold side reach playoffs in 2015 and 2016. In the latter, they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.
This is the third big coaching staff change in the IPL teams ahead of the 2024 season. Notably, Justin Langer took over Andy Flower as the head coach of Lucknow Super Giants and Flower later took his role as head coach of RCB. When it comes to the longest format of the game, Vettori is up there with one of the greatest. In 113 Test matches, he scored 4,531 runs at an average of 30. He has six centuries and 23 half-centuries in this format, with the best score of 140. He has also taken 362 wickets in the format with the best figures of 7/87 at an average of 34.36 and an economy rate of 2.59.
In 295 ODIs, Vettori has scored 2,253 runs at an average of 17.33. He has four half-centuries in the format, with the best score of 83. He has also taken 305 wickets in the 50-over format at an average of 31.71 and an economy rate of 4.12. In 34 T20Is, Vettori scored 205 runs with the best score of 38. He also took 38 wickets in the format at an average of 19.68 and an economy rate of 5.70 and the best bowling figures of 4/20.
Vettori is the second-highest leading wicket-taker for New Zealand. He has taken overall 696 wickets at the highest level of the sport.