Sunrisers Hyderabad And Tom Moody Mutually Part Ways; Brian Lara Dubbed As The Front-runner To Become Head Coach

In a recent development. Tom Moody and Sunrisers Hyderabad have mutually decided to part ways ahead of the next season of IPL. It is learned that both Moody and Sunrisers decided to not extend the contract. This marks the end of Tom Moody’s second stint at the IPL franchise after he returned in 2021 as the director of Cricket.

Although there is no confirmation yet on who could replace Moody, ESPNcricinfo has reported former West Indies skipper Brian Lara is the frontrunner for the role. Lara was the strategic advisor and batting coach with Sunrisers in the 2022 season.

Tom Moody appointed as director of cricket at Desert Vipers

The 56-year-old Australian was recently appointed director of cricket at Desert Vipers, one of the six franchises in the ILT20, which is scheduled to begin in the UAE in January 2023.

Moody has proved himself in the role when he returned to Sunrise in 2021 as director of cricket with fellow Aussie Trevor Bayliss as head coach. However, once Bayliss quit after the 2021 season – in which Sunrisers finished last – the franchise appointed Moody as head coach, and he took over the reins for the second time. In his highly successful first stint, between 2013 and 2019, Moody had helped Sunrisers reach the play-offs five times, including winning the IPL in 2016.

Tom Moody’s second stint with SRH wasn’t fruitful

Moody’s second innings at SRH was almost forgettable as Sunrisers were amongst the worst-performing teams in IPL 2022. In 28 matches, they managed nine wins, 18 defeats and one tie. In 2022, Sunrisers finished eighth in the 10-team tournament, with six wins and eight defeats.

Sunrisers had assembled a well-balanced squad at the auction courtesy Moody, retaining three key players: captain Kane Williamson and the Indian pair of Umran Malik and Abdul Samad. In the first half of the season, Williamson got lucky at the toss, which played a big role in Sunrisers winning five matches in a row. However, they went downhill just as fast with five consecutive defeats. Williamson’s poor batting form coupled with injuries to two key Indian players – T Natarajan and Washington Sundar – left Sunrisers.

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