David Warner breaks self-imposed beer ban after IPL triumph

David Warner led from the front as Sunrisers Hyderabad secured their maiden IPL title with victory over RCB on Sunday

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner, who led his side to their maiden IPL triumph on Sunday against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, celebrated the victory in true Australian style by breaking his self-imposed beer ban – something the 29-year-old had been following since May 2015.

The Australian vice-captain, who had an ill-fated altercation with England batsman Joe Root during the 2013 Ashes series, had decided to keep away from alcoholic drinks last year with Australia having a jam-packed schedule to deal with. By the look of things, the move has definitely paid off with the left-handed batsman in the form of his life but after yesterday’s triumph, Warner said that the long-standing ban was over, at least for the time being. 

The Australian hard-hard hitting batsman led his side from the front as he amassed more than 800 runs in the 2016 edition of the IPL. More crucially, the skipper stood up when it really mattered, scoring an unbeaten 93 off 58 balls in the eliminator against league table-toppers Gujarat Lions and followed it up with a 38-ball 69 in the summit clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Despite scoring a mammoth 208 after electing to bat first, SRH were staring down at a defeat after RCB openers Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli had put on 114 runs for the opening wicket. However, a brilliant fightback from the bowlers, led by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, ensured that Warner became only the third overseas captain to win the IPL after Shane Warne (with Rajasthan Royals in 2008) and Adam Gilchrist (with The Deccan Chargers in 2009). 

The SRH players and team management celebrated in sheer jubilation in front of a stunned Bengaluru crowd with Warner crediting his players for the victory against a star-studded opposition in their own backyard. 

"It's been a long journey over two years,” Warner said, as quoted by NDTV Sports, in reference to his role as skipper of the franchise since his appointment prior to the 2015 edition. "We knew we had to get 200 plus to beat these guys (RCB). They are a fantastic team, but for our guys, we came through as massive underdogs. I'm so proud of these guys."

There was no doubting that the celebrations would continue late into the night and Warner was not in any mood to downplay his emotions and revealed that his long-standing beer ban was going to come to an end. 

"We'll really celebrate this and it's about time I had a beer," he said. 

It would seem a temporary break only as Warner is set to head to the Carribean soon after returning to his hometown with the Aussies set to take part in a tri-series which include South Africa apart from the hosts.