New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said that he was not surprised to be released by his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of the IPL 2023 auction which will take place on December 23.
As many as 85 players were released by franchises ahead of the IPL 2023 mini-auction, scheduled for December. Williamson, who was retained for Rs 15 crore by SRH ahead of the mega auction in 2022, was let go despite having been their captain last season. They also released Nicholas Pooran as well.
The 2016 champions will head to the auction with the highest purse - Rs 42.25 crore.
Talking about his release from SRH, Kane Williamson was quoted as saying by India Today: "It wasn't a surprise when it [retention list] was officially released. That's the way it goes, I had a really enjoyable time at SRH, I have a lot of fond memories.”
SRH won only six matches in IPL 2022 to finish 8th on the points table as Kane Williamson struggled with the bat as well, managing just 216 runs in 13 matches with one fifty at a strike rate of 93.51.
Williamson joined SunRisers Hyderabad in 2015 and had been an integral member of the former champions. The New Zealand skipper played 76 matches, scoring 2101 runs at an average of 36. Williamson led SRH to the final in IPL 2018 after he had taken over the reins from David Warner.
He posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram after his departure from SRH.
Williamson posted: “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”
