IPL 11: Kane Williamson is the new skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad

Hyderabad: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was on Thursday appointed captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad after Australian David Warner was banned from playing in IPL 2018 in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal.

"We are happy to announce Kane Williamson as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2018," the franchise's CEO K. Shanmugam announced on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/SunRisers/status/979263226746753024

In accepting the role, Williamson made it a point to mention that he was "standing in as captain for this season."

"I've accepted the role to stand in as captain for this season. It's an exciting opportunity with a talented group of players. I look forward to the challenges ahead," Williamson said.

The franchise's decision to pick Williamson is, however, likely to raise a few eyebrows.

In his previous three seasons with the Sunrisers, Williamson played only 15 matches with a modest record -- 411 runs at a strike rate of 129.24 with three half centuries.

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