David Warner, T20 World Cup Hero, Opens Up On SunRisers Hyderabad Snub

From being dropped by an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise in September to winning the Player of the Tournament award at the T20 World Cup in November, it has been a rollercoaster ride for opener David Warner, who played a crucial role in Australia's maiden T20 World Cup title win on Sunday. Two months after the UAE leg of IPL 2021, Warner has broken his silence on the series of events that had happened with him at the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) camp where the star opener was dropped from the team and removed from captaincy.

"When you are dropped from the team you have loved the most for years without any real fault of yours and stripped of captaincy without being given a reason, it hurts. At the same time there are no complaints. The fans in India have always been there for me and it is for them that you play. We play to entertain. We play to push for excellence," Warner said in an interview with The Economic Times.

David Warner, who led SunRisers Hyderabad to the IPL title in 2016, had featured only in two games in the UAE-leg of IPL 2021. However, the opener said that even after not finding a spot in the SRH team, he was training hard and batting extremely well in the nets.

"Whatever may have been the reason for me not finding a spot in an IPL team, I can tell you I was training the hardest I ever did. I didn't not miss a single day. I was batting extremely well in the nets and it was only a matter of time before it all started to work out. So yes, while it hurt, I knew I will have another opportunity," Warner added.

Australia lifted their maiden T20 World Cup title on Sunday by defeating New Zealand in the final. David Warner was the architect of Australia's victory in the tournament with his standout performances with the bat. The left-handed batsman scored 289 runs in 7 innings at the concluded T20 World Cup.

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket Australia Cricket Team Sunrisers Hyderabad David Warner