David Warner, Australia’s vice-captain who fell from grace after 2018’s infamous ball-tampering incident, made a graceful return to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Warner has also been reinstated as SRH’s captain for the 2020 Indian Premier League.
Warner had missed the 2018 season of the IPL after he was banned from all formats of cricket for the period of 12 months, along with Australia’s then captain Steve Smith, after the two became embroiled in what is now known as Sandpaper Gate.
Cricket Australia handed both players 12-month bans, and the board also stated that the two players will not be in the running for leading and captaining the team in national cricket anymore.
When Warner returned to SRH in 2019, he played under the captainship of Kane Williamson. Having returned as captain this year,
he said in a message posted to SRH’s official Twitter handle, “I’m thrilled to be given the captaincy for IPL 2020.” Further, Warner also said,
“I’m extremely grateful to be given the opportunity to lead the team once again.”
“I’d like to thank Kane and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) for the way you guys led throughout the last couple of years, you guys did an outstanding job. And I’ll be leaning on you guys for the support and your insight to the game as well. And to the management thank you once again for giving me this opportunity. And I’ll try my very, very best to lifting that IPL Trophy this year,” Warner further added.
Warner has always had a splendid record in the IPL. In the last four seasons alone, he made a total of 562, 848, 642 and 692 runs, and received the Orange Cap in 2015, 2017 and 2019. With 4,706 runs from 126 IPL games, the Australian opener is fourth on the list of the tournament’s all-time run-getters, behind Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and Rohit Sharma.
The 13th edition of the IPL begins from March 29, 2020, with Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings.
