David Warner’s fall from grace in the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has been quite drastic. From winning the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) title with the franchise to helping them qualify for playoffs the following seasons, the Australian opener has played a key role in the team’s success.
The IPL 2021 season, however, has been quite contrasting for David Warner. Stripped off from captaincy responsibility in the first half of the season and phased out of the team in the second half, the opener posted a cryptic message on Instagram amid his current situation in the team.
David Warner Posted A Cryptic Instagram Message
Reports of David Warner being shown the exit door by the franchise owners have been surfacing for a while. The Australian opener isn’t even travelling with the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad to the stadiums for matches. After being left in the team hotel for the second consecutive game, the Australian dashing opener seemed to have taken a swipe at the team management.
He wrote in an Instagram story: “It’s not about who is real to you face. It’s about who stays real behind your back.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad managed a decent win against Rajasthan Royals on Monday but couldn’t carry the momentum against Chennai Super Kings. They lost the game by 6 wickets in Sharjah on Thursday, becoming the first team to be knocked out this season.
Jason Roy Played Instead Of David Warner And Scored A Fifty In A Win Against Rajasthan Royals
He was then dropped from the squad, with England opener Jason Roy taking his place in the team. Making his debut for the Sunrisers, in the match against Rajasthan Royals as David Warner’s replacement, Jason Roy slammed a match-winning half-century for the team to help them secure only their second win of the season.
Jason Roy opened for the Sunrisers again on Thursday against Chennai Super Kings but couldn’t repeat his performance from the last match as SRH also suffered a defeat. However, despite there being three games to go in the league stage of the campaign, there seems to be no hope of David Warner’s comeback.
There are suggestions that David Warner’s love affair with Sunrisers Hyderabad is already over. With the 2022 season set to see a mega auction, it is all but certain that David Warner will not be retained by the Sunrisers nor is he expected to receive any bids from the SRH owners.
As things stand at the moment, the Sunrisers Hyderabad are languishing at the bottom of the IPL 2021 points table with just two wins to their name in 11 matches. They were also the first ones among 8 franchises to drop out of contention for playoffs qualification this season.
David Warner has been SRH’s star opener for a number of years, having carried the weight of a fragile middle order single-handedly. He was the Orange Cap winner in 2015, 2017, and 2019, having amassed 4014 runs in 95 games for the franchise at a whopping average of 49.56 and striking at 142.59.
He is still the IPL’s 5th highest scorer having amassed 5449 runs in 150 games averaging 41.59 with 4 tons and 50 fifties. He has hit the maximum number of the fifties in IPL history.