'There's a lot of cooks in the kitchen': Former SRH coach decodes Markram's comment

Former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody responded to Aiden Markram’s cluelessness on being asked about Umran Malik’s absence from the playing XI. After Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss and elected to bowl first on Thursday, Markram was quizzed about the pace sensation’s position in the selection order. Markram left everyone speculating about a possible rift in the franchise by what he had to say about Umran.

Speaking about Umran Malik at the coin toss, Aiden Markram said, “I am not too sure, to be honest with you. Obviously, he is a player with the X factor, and bowls at 150kmph, but I can’t, I don’t really know what is happening with him behind the scenes. But, certainly, he is a player that has a lot of x-factor”. 

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'He has very little say on selection': Former SRH coach on Aiden Markram

Reacting to Markram’s comments, Moody pointed out that Markram might limited influence on the team's selection process. The former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach suggested it is apparent that Markram may hold his own viewpoint on Umran Malik as a cricketer but might be in a tricky situation. “I think that implies that he has very little say on selection and he may have an opinion on Umran Malik the cricketer and what he probably feels his season should have been like, with regards to opportunities to play,” Tom Moody said on ESPNcricinfo.

Moody went on to add that Markram possibly indicated that Malik was unfairly dropped a couple of games ago by the team management. “That’s not ideal, you need your captain and your coach on the same page, working towards what you think is the best combination. Every franchise is different with regards to the involvement in selection,” the 53-year-old explained.

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Tom Moody says SRH have a lot of cooks in their kitchen

“For some franchises, it’s a very simple process for the captain and the coach and maybe someone in cricket operations or other senior players will come up with what they feel is the best team. There are other teams, where there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen. I think that applies in this situation that we are talking about the Sunrisers. There’s clearly a lot of cooks in the kitchen and we do not know who has got the tallest hat,” Moody concluded.

SRH batted first and posted 186 runs on the board at the loss of five wickets, as Heinrich Klassen hit his maiden IPL century. However, Royal Challengers Bangalore replied with carnage in the second innings, courtesy of Virat Kohli’s sixth IPL century, alongside a 172-run opening stand with RCB skipper Faf du Plessis. RCB reached  14 points with the victory as SRH suffered their ninth loss of the IPL 2023 season.