Yorkshire fans looking for an IPL team to follow over the next couple of months may want to look towards Sunrisers Hyderabad.
With Kane Williamson as their captain and fast bowler Billy Stanlake in their ranks, the men in orange have a strong White Rose presence.
Coached by Tom Moody, Sunrisers are bidding for their second title having won the competition in 2016. In their five-year existence, they have reached the knockouts on three occasions, including last year.
Their star man is Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, while only last week Williamson took over the captaincy from David Warner following his ban for taking part in the Australian ball tampering scandal.
Warner, meanwhile, has been replaced in their squad by Alex Hales.
This is Stanlake’s first season with Sunrisers having moved from Bangalore. He was picked up in January’s auction for £53,000, and he is going for the second of three domestic T20 titles this year.
He won the Big Bash at the start of 2018 with Adelaide Strikers, playing alongside Rashid, and will be bidding to add the Vitality Blast with the Vikings later this summer.
The IPL kicks off on Saturday, with Sunrisers playing their first match against Rajasthan Royals on Monday. The final takes place on May 27 at the home of defending champions Mumbai Indians.
And Stanlake can’t wait: “I enjoyed it last year with Bangalore, and hopefully it will be another great experience with the Sunrisers,” he told yorkshireccc.com.
“It’s quite a different experience to any other tournament. From arriving at the ground, the noise and atmosphere is non stop, it’s full on. I loved every bit of it.
“We’ve got some great players in our squad. We’ve got Rashid, who should be able to tear through a few teams again. That would be nice.
“It looks like we have a very well balanced squad from one to 25. I’ve spoken to a few of the boys, and the general feeling is that the management have done a great job in putting the squad together.
“They won it a couple of years ago, were very strong last year, so there’s no reason why we can’t challenge again. I’m going hoping to play a part in a successful tournament.”
