In a big decision made by team management, opener David Warner was left back in the team hotel as SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) ended their five-match losing streak in Dubai, defeating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in Match 40 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Monday. The Australian, who was stripped off the team's captaincy earlier this year, hasn't been in the best of form in IPL 2021 and has seen Kane Williamson take over the captaincy from him. During Match 40, fans were left wondering about Warner absence from the RR clash, considering his importance to the side. After the match, Trevor Bayliss (head coach) was also asked about Warner's omission, during the post-match press conference. The 58-year-old explained that the management wanted to give youngsters a chance.
"A lot of young players here and for this match we decided we will make a few changes in the team. But to give some of the other young players who haven't been part of the 18 and give them the opportunity to come along and experience the game", he revealed.
"We got a number of guys who have stayed behind in the hotel and haven't even experienced being at the ground. So we want to give those young guys as much of an experience, we possibly can", he said.
"So for this game, David, Kedar and Nadeem were the three fit guys that weren't here today", he further added.
During the game, Warner had shared several posts on Instagram Stories, which showed him following the match and cheering on his teammates from the hotel.
Sidddarth Kaul was in good form for SRH, helping the team restrict RR to 164 for five in 20 overs at the Dubai International Stadium. Chasing a target of 165, SRH reached 167 for three in 18.3 overs with Jason Roy smashing 60 off 42 balls.
Meanwhile, captain Williamson also got back amongst the runs, hitting an unbeaten 51 off 41 balls.
SRH are currently bottom of the league table with four points from 10 games and face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their next fixture on Thursday.