David Warner made a heartfelt post for the SRH fanbase as they played their last game of the Inidna Premier League 2021 on Friday against Mumbai Indians.
Through his Instagram post, the Australian also made a strong indication that his journey with SRH has also come to a close with the culmination of their campaign this year.
Warner-SRH equation has changed exceptionally quickly. The Australian opening batter is still the franchise’s most successful captain, having taken them to their only title back in 2016. The 34-year-oold is also undoubtedly one of IPL’s greatest run-scorers with a tally of 5,449 runs at an average of 41.59 and strike-rate of 139.96.
But things changed drastically this year when Warner, whose batting returns had been on the wane since IPL 2020, was dropped by SRH from the playing XI.
He was sacked from the captaincy duties near the close of the Indian leg of the tournament, with Kane Williamson reappointed to the post after a successful 2018 season at the helm.
Learn more 👉 Warner’s future “not been discussed” yet, says SRH head coach Bayliss
Warner made only 195 runs from his eight IPL 2021 games with a strike-rate of 107.73. Despite a massive dip in his performances, it was felt that SRH would give him every opportunity to resurrect his game given Warner’s history with the franchise.
However, in a proactive and brave move that didn’t go down well with many, they chose to drop and even removed him as skipper, given he took one of the four important overseas slots in the XI.
Warner’s sacking had been taken for a fall-out with the SRH team management and ownership group. The cricketer wasn’t taken to the ground for one of the earlier matches in the UAE, which led to speculations of a poor turn in the relationship and trust.
However, head coach Trevor Bayliss clarified that leaving Warner at the team hotel was a case of looking to give the younger players of the side an opportunity to not just experience the in-game scenarios but also the on-ground atmosphere for a match. Bayliss said Warner was not the only one they left behind, as Kedar Jadhav and Shahbaz Nadeem also didn’t make the venue.
With strong hints that SRH are unlikely to retain Warner ahead of next year’s mega auction – where they are expected to undergo a revamp after a disastrous IPL 2021 – the experienced Aussie player seems to have come to an understanding with the franchise that his SRH era is now over.
