“It’s difficult, a bitter pill to swallow but I don’t think I will ever get answers and must move on. It’s time to look forward, there’s another auction coming up,” David Warner reflected upon his axing as captain and batsman by SRH during the IPL 2021. He had said this after the tournament since 2009, scoring 195 runs in eight innings at an average of 24.37 and a strike rate of 107.73.
David Warner then went on to have a blockbuster T20 World Cup for Australia, bagging the Man of the Tournament award and once again reminding doubters of his prowess as a batter.
David Warner was then purchased by the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2022 mega-auction for 6.25 crore; the Capitals staved off competition from CSK and MI both of whom wanted the services of David Warner, who will now be teaming up with the dynamic Prithvi Shaw and both of them could form the most destructive opening pair this season.
Don’t be surprised, and just applaud, if Warner turns up in the blue of Delhi Capitals and hammers a century against SRH, his former franchise who mistreated their greatest ever player.
David Warner was sacked as captain by SRH in IPL 2021
David Warner was sacked as captain of SRH, replaced by Kane Williamson, and was also dropped from the eleven during the India leg last season when SRH had lost their initial games. Warner himself wasn’t at his best with the bat, struggling on the slow, turning, sticky pitch in Chennai before moving to the flatter ones in Delhi, where he hit a scratchy fifty.
He was given another chance in the UAE leg but managed just two single-figure scores before being dropped for the rest of the season. It’s then when it was felt that Warner had had issues with coach Trevor Bayliss.
The man who delivered SRH their only title so far in 2016, and IPL’s leading overseas run-scorer, David Warner was harshly pushed on the bench, and then was altogether asked to not travel with the team and stay in the hotel, asked to not be with the team in the dugout. The sight of Warner in his shorts waving the SRH flag from the stands was disheartening.
“The disappointing thing for me was not being explained why I was dropped as captain,” he said. “I think if you want to go along the lines of form, it’s a difficult one because I guess whatever you’ve done in the past would have some weightage moving forward, especially when you’ve played 100 [95] games for the franchise.”
We believe that David Warner will have a blast this season.
A couple of key reasons come to the fore. He is now with compatriot Ricky Ponting, who’d understand him better than the staff at SRH. And, importantly, the IPL 2022 will be played on good batting surfaces in Mumbai and Pune. David Warner himself had admitted that he had struggled on the slow pitches in Chepauk. However, he will definitely enjoy the pitches in Pune and Mumbai which are truer and flatter.
Having helped Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title, Ricky Ponting, the DC coach, would be hoping that Warner, arguably the most consistent run-scorer in the IPL, does the same for Delhi Capitals and take them to their maiden IPL title.
