Here’s Why Sacking David Warner as Captain Was a Wrong Decision by SRH Team Management

Cornerstone of Sunrisers Hyderabad line-up over the years, David Warner wasn’t just sacked as a captain but was also dropped from the playing XI for the clash against Rajasthan Royals. This came after SRH’s terrible campaign in the first half of VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Under Warner’s leadership, the orange army lost five of their first six games this season. Aiming for a change of fortunes, the franchise gave the leadership role to Kane Williamson and dropped Warner from the playing XI. Notably, the Aussie opener has scored just 193 runs in six outings this season at a strike rate of just over 110. Although his numbers aren’t sensational, was sacking him as captain a good decision by the orange army? Kane Williamson Replaces David Warner as Sunrisers Hyderabad Captain for Remainder of IPL 2021 Season.

The answer is a clear NO, as Warner has been absolutely phenomenal for the Orange army ever since joining the franchise in 2014. The southpaw scored runs regularly at a good pace and guided SRH to numerous victories. So far, the Australian swashbuckler has scored 4012 runs in 93 outings for Hyderabad at an average and strike rate of over 50 and over 140 respectively. Moreover, the 34-year-old has been SRH’s highest run-scorer in every season he played for the orange army. He, in fact, went on to win the orange cap as many as three times, being the only player to do so. Now, what more can a batter do in this hard and fast format? IPL 2021 Points Table Updated.

David Warner’s Batting Record For SRH

It’s absolutely true that players tend to lose their sheen with time. However, this case doesn’t imply on Warner. Last season, the swashbuckler scored 548 runs in 16 games and was the third-highest run-scorer of the tournament. Yes, he hasn’t performed as per his standards in IPL 2021 but he still has two half-centuries in six games.

David Warner In IPL 2021

While his numbers with the willow are nothing short of sensational, Warner is a proven captain as well. He took over the reins of the side in the 2015 edition as Shikhar Dhawan, and Darren Sammy couldn’t do well in the leadership role in the previous seasons. His maiden season as captain wasn’t good as SRH finished at the sixth place in IPL 2015, although Warner scored 562 runs and earned the orange cap that season.

However, the next edition of the tournament, IPL 2016, saw an entirely different Warner as SRH finally tasted the glory. He led SRH from the front and guided them to their maiden title. With the bat, he scored 848 runs in 17 games, second-most for any batsman in an IPL season. Under his captaincy, SRH also went on to qualify for the playoffs in the 2017 and 2020 season.

For the unversed, Warner missed the 2018 edition of the tournament for his involvement in the infamous ball-tampering scandal. Kane Williamson led SRH in that season and in IPL 2019 as well. The orange army qualified for playoffs in both the tournaments. However, Warner took over the captaincy mantle ahead of the 2020 season and took his side to the playoffs.

David Warner While Leading SRH

With Warner being so phenomenal for SRH, it’s really difficult to understand the ideology behind his sacking. Moreover, SRH didn’t bring in Jason Roy as Warner’s replacement in the top order. They included Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi while asking Manish Pandey to open with Jonny Bairstow.

The strategic move didn’t pay off against RR as the Men in Pink walked away with a 55-run victory. Hence, it would be interesting to see how long Warner will be away from the XI. Moreover, SRH have now lost six of their first seven games and are just a couple of defeats away from getting knocked of the tournament.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 03, 2021 05:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).