IPL 2018: SRH announces David Warner's replacement

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were rocked badly after David Warner stepped down as the skipper of the franchise following his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal. Moreover, Cricket Australia banned him for a period of 1 year which prompted the franchise to look for an able replacement for the Australian cricketer. However, they have now signed an explosive England batsman Alex Hales as Warner’s replacement for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

SRH had earlier approached Kusal Perera to feature in the Indian T20 extravaganza as he is in great form in the shortest format of the game. But the left-handed batsman denied the opportunity in order to play in the domestic first-class cricket to earn his place in the Test side. Nevertheless, Hales looks the perfect replacement for Warner as of now and he will most likely open the innings along with Shikhar Dhawan.

Hales – a proper replacement?

Alex Hales was bought by SRH for his base price of Rs 1 Crore Reserve and Available Pool of Players List (RAPP). The official Twitter handle of Sunrisers confirmed the news and welcomed the explosive England opening batsman. He recently featured for Islamabad United in the third edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) and played a few crucial knocks for his team.

Hales has played a total of 174 T20 matches in his career and has amassed 4704 runs at a strike rate of 143.54. He has been able to provide his team with a blazing start more often than not which might have prompted the franchise to go for him. It will be interesting to see the way he performs and it won’t be easy for Hales to fill in the shoes of a player like Warner. He will have to be consistent throughout the tournament for SRH to taste success in this season.

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