By Akshay RameshDavid Warner shared a selfie of himself with a few of his teammates and guests from the stands in Dubai. It was not a routine post from the social media-savvy Warner as he was not a guest at an exhibition match. The team that he had led until a few months ago, SunRisers Hyderabad, were playing an Indian Premier League (IPL) match and Warner was watching it from the stands.
Warner started as the captain of the franchise in IPL 2021. He was sacked as captain mid-way through the season and was dropped for poor form in the 2nd half of the season.
The relationship between SunRisers Hyderabad and David Warner was strained during the IPL 2021 season, marking the end of one of the celebrated chapters in the tournament history. Warner has refused to divulge details of what went wrong with the management, headed by Tom Moody, and the ownership but it was evident that the franchise no more wanted their title-winning captain.
It was a disappointing end to Warner’s stint with SunRisers wherein he evolved into one of the most successful and much-loved overseas cricketers. Warner made sure he entertained on and of the field, keeping in touch with local fans with his Instagram reels and even called SRH his ‘second family’ after the reception he received on his return to the IPL after the ball-tampering ban.
When Warner’s form and captaincy were in the doldrums at SRH, not many would have imagined the Australian opener leading a franchise again. However, Delhi Capitals roped David Warner as the stand-in captain for the IPL 2023 season on Thursday, March 16. Delhi have shown faith in the leadership skills of the veteran Australian batter after it emerged that Rishabh Pant would be ruled out of the tournament following the Indian star’s near-fatal car accident in December 2022.
There is no doubting Warner’s greatness in the IPL. 5881 runs, 162 matches, and 4 centuries and a trophy. He is only among the 3 overseas names to have won the title as captain. And he led from the front in an incredible campaign in 2016 where his run-scoring feat (848 runs) was overshadowed by one freakish Virat Kohli season.
BIG SEASON IN TWILIGHT OF CAREER
However, knowing the hunger and commitment that Warner has, the Australian star will be keen on proving a point as he embarks on an important journey with Delhi in the swansong of his career.
Warner will be determined more than ever to come back strong at his “second home” after having returned home midway during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which ended earlier in the month. Questions were asked of Warner’s place in the Test side even after he scored a double hundred in his 100th Test. However, the Australian selectors backed him for the India trip which ended in disappointment as Warner struggled to put bat to ball.
Warner, much like Kohli, loves a fight when his back is against the wall. Warner will certainly be geared up for the IPL 2023 challenge. The fire will be burning bright to prove his doubters wrong. While his Test form has been facing a slump, Warner’s ability to keep ticking along in white-ball cricket has been impressive.
Warner scored 340 runs at a strike rate of close to 150 in T20Is and 552 runs in 13 ODIs at an average of close to 43 in 2022.
WARNER’S TOUCH AT DELHI
Warner might have to do what he did at SunRisers Hyderabad in 2016 — do the bulk of the scoring with support from the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Axar Patel as Rishabh Pant’s absence will hurt the batting unit more than anything else. It remains to be seen whether Warner can produce another 600-plus season at this juncture of his career.
However, one can be assured that the Delhi Capitals will have the flavour of Warner, the leader in the IPL 2023 season. With backing of Ricky Ponting, Warner will make sure that Delhi makes the best use of the resources in their set-up.
The bowlers, including Mustafizur Rahman who picked the Emerging Player of the Year Award in 2016, will love working with Warner as the Australian star loves letting the bowlers stick to their plans and give them the freedom that they deserve. T Natarajan’s rapid rise under Warner’s captaincy at SRH Is a testament to his prowess.
Delhi don’t have one of the strongest squads on paper ahead of IPL 2023 but it’s not wise to write off the ‘Bull’ and his Delhi boys.
Rodrigo Wolf
Kole Prosacco