Bhuvneshwar has been with Sunrisers since their inception in 2013, and has led them in the past as well - in six games in 2019 and once in 2022. Sunrisers won two of those seven matches.

After finishing eighth on the points table in 2022, Sunrisers revamped their squad ahead of this season. One of the big changes was releasing their then-captain Kane Williamson and handing over the reins to Markram.

Markram recently led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title, where he also finished as the tournament's third-highest run-getter, scoring 369 runs at a strike rate of 127. He also bagged 11 wickets at an economy of 6.19 with his offspin.

Apart from Markram, Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen will also be unavailable for the first match. That leaves Sunrisers with only five overseas players - Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips, Adil Rashid, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Akeal Hosein - to choose from for their first match.

Sunrisers' second game is on April 7, against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow.