Sunrisers Hyderabad’s new recruit Mayank Agarwal feels Aiden Markram is a machine. Markram will lead the Orange Army in the upcoming season of the IPL. The South African recently led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to glory in the inaugural edition of SA20 and thus he was handed over the captaincy baton after the team decided to release former skipper Kane Williamson.

Markram had scored 381 runs in 12 innings of IPL 2022 for SRH at an average of 47.63 and a strike rate of 139.05. The right-hander also scored 366 runs in 12 matches for SA20 while leading SEC at an average of 33.27 and a strike rate of 127.97.

“He is a great guy. Apart from being a fantastic cricketer, he is a great guy. So that tells you a lot about him. I call him the machine, and that’s for a reason. Somebody who works really hard on his game, who really thinks a lot about his game, and who is genuinely a great guy, and who has a very happy and relaxed vibe around him, ” Mayank told SRH’s YouTube channel.

Agarwal, who was brought for INR 8.25 crores by SRH in IPL 2023 mini-auction, added he is looking forward to playing under the captaincy of Aiden Markra in the tournament.

“I am really looking forward to playing under him because we had a bond when we played for Punjab. I’m really looking forward to building on that when we play now for SRH,” Mayank said.

Agarwal will be the first-choice opener for SRH and he is expected to open the innings with Abhishek Sharma, who had a done good job in the previous season. But Agarwal had failed to get going for Punjab Kings and he will be determined to prove his mettle.

Sunrisers Hyderabad will open their IPL 2023 campaign against the previous season’s runners-up Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on April 2.