IPL 2021: [Watch] David Warner cheers for the Sunrisers Hyderabad from the stands
Former Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner was in the stands cheering on the Orange Army during their encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai on Sunday.
Notably, the former IPL-winning captain did not travel to the stadium for Sunrisers' last two matches. The southpaw made his first appearance in the stadium on Sunday after getting dropped from the playing XI after their encounter against the Punjab Kings on September 25.
Watch the video here:
Interestingly, the champion opener was wearing the franchise's jersey and waving their flag with full gusto. He even posted a selfie with fellow teammates Virat Singh and Veer Pratap Singh.
David Warner & SRH: A bitter end to a beautiful relationship
Warner's relationship with the Sunrisers Hyderabad unraveled to the hilt during the 14th season of the IPL.
The seeds were sown during the Indian leg when the run-machine skipper suddenly started looking like a mere mortal for the first time since 2014.
For six consecutive seasons, Warner was a bank of runs for the Sunrisers. Not only did he churn out 500+ runs every season, but he also used to score them at such a pace and so consistently that it used to mask their soft underbelly. Their skilled bowlers used to do the rest.
This year, runs were hard to come by for Warner, and even when they did come, like in the game against CSK in Delhi (57 off 55 balls), they helped the opposition more than his team.
The fact that SRH were on a losing spree and had a proven leader in Kane Williamson available, the management took a desperate decision to strip the Australian from his leadership duties.
It didn't stop there. They went one step ahead and dropped the opener from the playing XI. The move understandably came as a shock to everyone involved and theories regarding a possible rift between the management and Warner started flooding on social media.
Warner only got a chance to play in the starting XI at the start of the UAE leg because Jonny Bairstow wasn't available. The fact that he registered scores of 0 and 2 didn't help his cause and the 34-year-old was once again benched, this time for Jason Roy.
However, Warner's axing hasn't had any effect on SRH's fortunes. The 2016 winners slumped to their 10th defeat of the season as KKR chased down their meager total of 115 in the last over.