David Warner: The Man of the IPL
Since the inception of the IPL, there have been many one-season wonders like Swapnil Asnodkar, Glenn Maxwell and Paul Valthaty. But with the league format being such that only the consistent prevail, most of these players were eventually kicked out.
The most disciplined and persistent ones are meant to stay in the league, and one such name is David Warner. The left-hander has been in the league since 2009, and has easily been one of the best players of the IPL.
Warner was one of the young sensations who was picked in the IPL back in 2009 on the basis of his sublime performances in the BBL and for the Australian National T20 side. He has never looked back since.
2009-2013 (Delhi Daredevils)
Warner was picked up by Delhi Daredevils ahead of the 2009 season. In the second edition of the IPL played in South Africa, he played seven matches in which he scored 123 runs at a strike rate of 123.48.
But Warner showed his class for the first time for Delhi Daredevils in the Champions League, where he became the first player to score consecutive T20 hundreds. He scored unbeaten knocks of 135 and 123 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) respectively.
2014-present (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
In the 2014 IPL auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad won the bid for Warner and bought him for US$880,000. The very next season, Warner was handed the captaincy of the team and he lead his side from the front, winning the Orange Cap by scoring 562 runs in 14 league matches.
Warner continued to terrorise the opposition bowling attacks in the 2016 season as he racked up a mammoth 848 runs in 16 matches, only behind Virat Kohli who amassed 973 runs that season. Sunrisers Hyderabad won the title in 2016, and in the final 'the Reverend' scored 69 off just 38 balls.
Warner continued his love affair with the IPL in the 10th edition where he regained his Orange Cap, scoring 641 runs at an average of 58.27. In that season, Warner hit the first IPL hundred for an SRH player when he scored 126 against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Warner missed the 2018 edition as he was banned from playing international due to the ball-tampering incident in South Africa, following which the BCCI banned him from playing in the IPL as well.
So what makes Warner play such a brutal player in the short form of the game? His aggressive left-handed batting style has been his trademark in his T20 success. Warner's ability to decimate the opposition in the powerplays coupled with his quick running between the wickets, switch hits and reverse sweeps are a treat to watch.
Even if Warner is in the worst form of his life in the international circuit, he ends up scoring loads of runs in the IPL and contributes in every way possible. That is why he truly deserves the tag of being the 'Man of the IPL'.