Sunrisers Hyderabad have suffered a big blow ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as David Warner is now unlikely to take part in the league. As per a report, his visa has been rejected. It isn’t confirmed whether it is due to the coronavirus threat or due to some technical issues.
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The BCCI officials are expected to take cognizance of the matter as in no case the board and the franchise would want a player like Warner to miss the tournament.
BREAKING NOW: DAVID WARNER'S VISA APPLICATION HAS BEEN REJECTED.
Not confirmed if it's a technical reason or because of the #Coronavirus threat. #IPL #BCCI #CoronaAlert @davidwarner31 @SunRisers
— KSR (@KShriniwasRao) March 12, 2020
Just a few weeks back, SRH reinstated Warner as the captain of the side and he is set to lead them once again. Under him, Sunrisers Hyderabad won their maiden IPL title in 2016. They also qualified for playoffs of IPL 2017.
SRH retained the services of their captain ahead of IPL 2018 auction but Warner was forced to miss the season. He made his comeback in IPL 2019 and played under Kane Williamson, who led SRH to playoffs for the second time in a row.
The new team management, headed by Trevor Bayliss, made a change in the leadership group and reappointed Warner as captain.
As of now, there has been no word from the cricketer. It is to be noted that Cricket Australia has given a free hand to its players. The professionals have to decide whether they want to go to India for the T20 tournament or not. Since Warner had applied for the visa, he is very much interested in playing IPL.
Amidst this, there is every chance that the matches might take place in front of empty stands due to the coronavirus threat. BCCI has already confirmed that no spectator will be allowed to watch remaining ODIs between India and South Africa and the final day of Ranji Trophy 2019/20. A final decision on IPL will be taken on Saturday.
As per the schedule, defending champions Mumbai Indians are slated to take on Chennai Super Kings in the opening game of IPL 2020.