After being released by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), New Zealand captain Kane Williamson penned down an emotional and heartfelt note to the fans on social media. Williamson was grateful to the Orange Army, his teammates, the franchise and the staff, and stated that the team and the city of Hyderabad will always be special to him.
"To the franchise, my teammates, the staff and the always amazing #orangearmy - thank you for making it an enjoyable 8 years. This team and the city of Hyderabad will always be very special to me," Williamson wrote on his official Instagram handle.
Williamson was bought by SRH for Rs 14 crore during the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. He played for the franchise for eight years, scoring 2101 runs at an average of 36.22 and a strike rate of 126.03 in 76 matches. Williamson also captained the side 46 times, having made his debut for the SunRisers in 2015. Williamson was appointed skipper of the side in 2018 after David Warner was stripped of his captaincy due to the ball-tampering scandal. Williamson then led SRH to the IPL 2018 final.
The batter then took over from David Warner once again in 2021 amid a terrible patch of form. SRH had an underwhelming season under his rein as out of 14 games, Hyderabad won only six last year.
This move by SRH massively frees up their budget ahead of the 2023 IPL auction. The team is looking to rebuild the side after a disappointing 2022 campaign in which they finished eighth on the 10-team points table with only six wins in 14 games. In addition to Williamson, Pooran's departure will free up Rs 10.75 crore, making SRH the team with the biggest purse going into the mini-auction.
