Sunrisers Hyderabad name Brian Lara as head coach

Former West Indies batter Brian Lara has been named the head coach of Indian Premier League franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the 2023 edition of the tournament. Lara, who served as the strategic advisor and batting coach for the franchise last year, will take the charge from Tom Moody in what will be his first assignment as a T20 franchise head coach.

Lara had emerged as the frontrunner after the franchise and Moody mutually agreed to end their association, following two forgettable seasons at the tournament: the Sunrisers took the wooden spoon, losing 11 of their 14 games in 2021, and the shambolic edition was followed by an eighth-spot finish in 2022 – when the IPL became a ten-team tournament with the addition of Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants to the existing pool – as they lost eight in 14.

With Moody in charge, the Sunrisers made it into the playoffs five times between 2013 and 2019, including the title-winning 2016 edition, Sunrisers’ only title in tournament history. The 2022 edition was Moody’s second stint as the head coach after he returned to that role in the aftermath of Trevor Bayliss’ decision to step down. Moody helmed the affairs as SRH's director of cricket in 2021.

“As his term with us draws to an end, we would like to thank Tom for his contributions to SRH. It has been a much-cherished journey over the years, and we wish him the very best for future endeavours,” SRH said in a statement.

As for Moody's future endeavours, he has been roped in as director of cricket at Desert Vipers, the Lancer Capital-owned franchise in the UAE-based ILT20, the six-team tournament which starts in January 2023.

His association with one of cricket’s newest leagues will only be an addition to a decorated coaching CV, with him having been a part of IPL, where he also coached Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) from 2008 to 2010 before joining hands with Sunrisers in 2013, and CPL. Moody also coached Sri Lanka between 2005 and 2007.