Varun Aaron, the former India fast bowler, will step into the dug-out next season after accepting Sunrisers Hyderabad’s offer to become bowling coach. The 35-year-old, who called time on his playing career in January, fills the vacancy left by New Zealand left-armer James Franklin.
It is Aaron’s first formal coaching role, though he has been working with young quicks at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai since mid-2024. That academy, as he often points out, helped him launch a professional career that began with Jharkhand in 2010-11 and peaked with an India Test cap a year later.
The fast bowler’s own journey was repeatedly interrupted by stress fractures, and he finished with nine Tests and nine ODIs, the last of them the rain-ruined Bengaluru Test against South Africa in November 2015. He never quite shook off the memory of the 2014 bouncer at Old Trafford that smashed Stuart Broad’s nose—an incident still replayed whenever discussions turn to short-pitched bowling.
“I’ve learnt a fair bit about handling injuries and pressure,” Aaron said when confirming the appointment. “If those lessons help even one young bowler avoid my mistakes, the job’s worth it.”
Head coach Daniel Vettori welcomed the move, noting Aaron’s “raw pace and honesty about the game”, qualities Vettori believes will connect quickly with the Sunrisers attack. The franchise’s speed unit already features Umran Malik and T. Natarajan, both still mouldable in different ways.
During a stop-start IPL career, Aaron turned out for six teams—Delhi, Bengaluru, Rajasthan, Kolkata, Punjab and, most recently, Gujarat. His 52 appearances produced 44 wickets at 8.93 runs an over, not eye-catching on paper yet dotted with handy power-play bursts. He last played in 2022, part of Gujarat Titans’ title run that year.
Since hanging up his boots, Aaron has dipped into media work and match analysis, experience he reckons can only help when discussing plans with data-savvy players. “You can’t just bark orders these days; bowlers want the numbers,” he admitted, half-smiling.
Sunrisers begin their pre-season camp early next year. Aaron’s task is straightforward enough: add a touch more consistency to a pace battery long on promise, short on control.
