With Dale Steyn taking a break from the 2024 Indian Premier League, Sunrisers Hyderabad have appointed the legendary New Zealand all-rounder as their bowling coach. James Franklin, who once physically assaulted Yuzvendra Chahal, has joined the Orange Army.
He has been brought into the squad at the request of Daniel Vettori. Vettori is the head coach of the 2016 IPL champions.
This will be the first coaching assignment for Franklin, who represented Mumbai Indians in 2011 and 2012. Vettori and Franklin have previously worked together at Middlesex (county cricket) and Birmingham Phoenix (hundred cricket). Franklin has also worked as head coach at Durham and is currently an assistant coach at Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.
The pacers in the Sunrisers camp are Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pat Cummins, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jaydev Unadkat and Akash Singh.
In the spin bowling department, Wanindu Hasaranga, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed will share the responsibility.
Coming back to Chahal's episode, he was abused by James Franklin and Andrew Symonds in 2011.
They tied his hands and legs and taped his mouth shut before leaving him in a room for an entire night.