'Chapter closed', says David Warner

NEW DELHI: The bittersweet relationship of Australian destructive batter David Warner with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has finally ended after he was released for the mega auction ahead of the upcoming season. Warner thanked all his fans and supporters for sticking by his side. He posted a picture of him with Rashid Khan and Kane Williamson and captioned it, "Chapter closed!! Thanks to all of the fans @srhfansofficial @sunrisersfansofficial for your support over all the years, it was much appreciated. #fans #loyal."

A fan asked Warner on Instagram whether he would like to play for the franchise if they retained him. Warner confidently replied, "They won't, but I can't do anything about that."

SRH had dropped Warner from captaincy during the India leg of the IPL and then the management kept him out of the playing XI and even the squad. Hence, his non-retention comes as no surprise to him as well as his fans. Warner, who led SRH to their only IPL title in 2016, was dropped from the team's playing XI during the second leg of the IPL 2021 in UAE. However, the attacking opener turned things around during Australia's maiden T20 World Cup-winning campaign and was adjudged Player of the T20 World Cup, after scoring 289 runs in the tournament. Even Sunrisers Hyderabad assistant coach Brad Haddin revealed that the decision to drop Warner from the team's playing XI midway during the IPL 2021 was not related to cricket. "It was not a cricket decision that he was not playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad. I think the one thing you have to realise about David is that he was not out of form; he was out of match practice. They had a long break. He did not go to Bangladesh or the West Indies. But he turned up in a really good headspace. He was hitting the ball well, circumstances were out of our control, even the coaching staff," Haddin revealed this on the Grade Cricketers Podcast. SRH has retained skipper Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad and Umran Malik, whereas star players like David Warner, Rashid Khan and Johnny Bairstow have been released. (IANS)

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