Former India fast bowler Varun Aaron has been named Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) new bowling coach ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. On July 14, the franchise posted on social media to confirm the news.
James Franklin, a former New Zealand all-rounder who played the position during the 2024 and 2025 IPL seasons, is replaced by Varun Aaron. SRH ended the 2025 season in sixth place after failing to duplicate their 2024 performance as runners-up under Franklin’s leadership. Even though SRH defeated the Rajasthan Royals in their inaugural match with the tournament’s best score of 286/6, they had bowling issues all season long.
In contrast, Aaron, 35, a graduate of the MRF Pace Foundation, was among India’s fastest bowlers in the early 2010s. Multiple stress fractures, however, hindered his international career, limiting him to just 18 games, including nine Test matches and nine One-Day Internationals, during which he claimed 29 wickets.
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During his playing career, Varun Aaron played for six different IPL clubs.
During the 2014 England tour, Aaron’s bouncer struck Stuart Broad, breaking the bowler’s nose. This incident stands out as one of his most memorable moments. Aaron had a ten-year IPL career, playing for six teams (Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Gujarat Titans) despite having a patchy international career. At an economy rate of 8.93, he took 44 wickets in 52 IPL games. He was a member of the Gujarat Titans’ championship-winning team during his final season in 2022.
Varun Aaron has moved into media and mentoring jobs since retiring. He worked as a cricket specialist and as a consultant at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai after declaring his retirement from representative cricket in January 2025.
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