"What Hurt Me The Most...": David Warner Opens Up On Being Dropped As SunRisers Hyderabad Captain

David Warner's poor form with the bat in the last IPL season saw him being removed as captain of SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) before he was also dropped from the team. Warner was subsequently not retained by SRH in the IPL retentions, leaving him to be a part of the mega auction ahead of next season. The swashbuckling opener, who regained his form during the 2021 T20 World Cup as he helped Australia win the title, recently opened up on his unceremonious exit from SRH.

Speaking on the show 'Backstage with Boria', Warner said, "If you are going to drop a captain and then not pick him in the team after what he has done, what message does that send to the young kids in the team? What message does that send to the rest of the group?"

Warner, who led SRH to their only IPL title in 2016, added: "What hurt me the most is that the other guys are now thinking, 'oh, this could happen to me'. Whatever happens, happens. At the end of the day, whatever happens, cop it cop it on the chin. If you want to have those conversations, just have them. It's not hard. Don't shy away from them. I am not going to bite. I am going to sit here and accept that for what it is because you are not picking me in the team." 

Warner also said that his exit from SRH would have hurt the team's younger fans. 

"I am passionate about where I play. I will connect in any way I can with the fans because I know how important fans are. Those kids in the playground wanting to be Sachin (Tendulkar), Virat (Kohli), myself, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith - you name those players, they want to be us. Now we have to connect with them. If they see something like that, it hurts them. That's what hurt me the most," he elaborated.

Topics mentioned in this article

Sunrisers Hyderabad Australia Cricket Team David Warner Cricket