David Warner to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2020

After releasing five players including two overseas players– Shakib al Hasan and Martin Guptill, Sunrisers Hyderabad bolstered their squad in the IPL 2020 auction by acquiring the services of Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and West Indies’ spinner Fabian Allen. The Hyderabad-based franchise also got hold of prospects like Abdul Samad and Priyam Garg.

Sunrisers are equipped with many eminent players in their batting arsenal including the likes of David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey and Kane Williamson. They also boast a robust bowling attack that consists of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi and Khaleel Ahmed. Sunrisers, who finished fourth last season, will begin their 2020 IPL campaign at home against defending champion Mumbai Indians on April.

Ahead of the much-awaited IPL 2020 season, most fans were expecting Kane Williamson to lead the side. However, the Orange Army will be led by David Warner in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League. Sunrisers Hyderabad announced the news on Twitter with the caption– “#OrangeArmy, our captain for #IPL2020 is
@davidwarner31.”

Warner has been gathering impressive performances in the IPL ever since his debut in the tournament. The southpaw has racked up 400+ runs in every IPL season since 2013. 410, 528, 562, 848, 641 and 692– Warner has been on a run-scoring spree since the past six seasons.

After missing the 2018 season due to the ball-tampering ban, the left-hander marked his arrival in style as he amassed 692 runs in 12 games at a staggering average of 69.20 in the 2019 season. Coupled with Warner’s batting forte, Bairstow is expected to form a destructive opening partnership with him in IPL 2020.

In an illustrious IPL career spanning over 126 matches, Warner has gathered 4706 runs at an average of 43.17. The Australian opener also has four tons and 44 half-centuries under his belt. Considering his run-churning consistency and explosive knocks, the 33-year-old is regarded as one of the best players to play in the Indian Premier League.

The Orange Army had a decent IPL 2019 season. Hyderabad finished on the fourth place after clinching six wins out of 14 matches last season. With their move of assigning the captaincy to Warner, Hyderabad will aim to clinch their second IPL trophy.