Daniel Vettori named new Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach

Daniel Vettori has taken over as the head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, succeeding Brian Lara. Vettori had previously served as the head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2014 to 2018 and is currently working as the assistant coach for the Australia men's team.

This appointment marks Sunrisers' fourth head coach change in six seasons. Prior to Vettori, Tom Moody (2019 and 2022), Trevor Bayliss (2020 and 2021), and Brian Lara (2023) had held the position. Lara had replaced Moody before the 2023 IPL season, but the team performed poorly, finishing last with four wins and ten losses.

Currently, Vettori is also the head coach of the Birmingham Phoenix men's team in The Hundred. Since May 2022, he has been associated with the Australia men's national side.

His coaching experience includes leading Barbados Royals in the CPL, Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League, and Middlesex in the Vitality Blast. He also served as a spin-bowling consultant for the Bangladesh men's national team.

During his previous tenure as an IPL head coach, Vettori guided RCB to the playoffs in 2015 and the final in 2016, where they were defeated by Sunrisers.

Ahead of the 2024 IPL season, there have been three notable coaching appointments. Justin Langer took over from Andy Flower at Lucknow Super Giants, and later Flower joined RCB in a similar role.

Sunrisers Hyderabad's performance in the IPL has been lackluster in recent years, which might explain the frequent changes in coaching staff. Since IPL 2021, they have managed to win only 13 games while suffering 29 losses.

From 2016, when they won the championship, until 2020, Sunrisers consistently reached the playoffs. However, they have struggled to replicate that success in subsequent seasons. With Daniel Vettori as head coach and Aiden Markram as captain, the team aims to break a three-season streak of finishing outside the top four.