David Warner has been removed as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain days after publicly questioning the selectors over the dropping of Manish Pandey from the playing XI.
SRH have struggled significantly at the start of the 2021 Indian Premier League season. Having played six games, they find themselves bottom of the table with one win and five defeats. After a Super Over loss to Delhi Capitals on Sunday, April 25, for which India batsman Manish Pandey was left out of the playing XI, Warner criticised the “selectors”, though it was unclear who exactly he meant by that.
“It was a harsh call in my opinion,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it is a decision of the selectors to do that.”
Warner is regarded as one of the greatest overseas batsmen in IPL history, and has led SRH to the playoffs in three of his four seasons in charge, including taking them to their only title win to date. But he has struggled this campaign, striking at 110.28 despite making two fifties. With SRH boasting a slew of foreign batting options – apart from Warner and new captain Kane Williamson, England opening pair Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy are also on the roster – they have also suggested that the pugnacious Australian will be dropped from the XI entirely.
“The team management has also made the decision that they will be changing their overseas combination for tomorrow’s match against Rajasthan Royals,” read a statement.
Apart from Roy, Bairstow, Williamson, and Rashid Khan, rated by many as the best white-ball spinner in the world, SRH have West Indies fast-bowling all-rounder Jason Holder and Afghanistan spinners Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman as overseas options.
