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Australian opener David Warner will return to the Delhi-based Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise after nearly a decade. Warner will play under the leadership of Rishabh Pant at Delhi Capitals after he was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) last year. Ahead of his first game in IPL 2022, Warner expressed that he wants to learn Pant’s typical one-handed shots.
"I want to learn how to play the one-handed shots from Rishabh. He's a young guy learning the ropes of leadership and he has been an integral part of the Indian team as well. I am excited and I can't wait to be bat with him in the middle," Warner said in a statement.
Pant was still aspiring to become a cricketer when the Aussie was playing for the Delhi-based franchise. Warner went on to play for SRH and won the trophy with them in 2016. Meanwhile, Pant rose through the ranks and took over the captaincy of Capitals after Shreyas Iyer’s unfortunate shoulder injury. DC coach Ricky Ponting backed Pant to lead the team even when Iyer returned to the squad.
"Ricky has had a fair bit of success with DC. He was a great leader for Australia and now he has a lot of respect as a coach. I am looking forward to working with him," the left-handed opener said as he joined the bubble after Australia’s historic tour of Pakistan.
Ahead of the clash against KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Warner feels that the team needs to focus on their fielding.
"We just need to put our best foot forward and play a complete game. Fielding is the biggest component of the game and if we can hold our catches and field as well as we can, then we can go a long way in this tournament," he concluded.
DC are currently in the seventh spot on the points table with one win from two games. Warner will replace Tim Seifert at the top and open with Prithvi Shaw. With Seifert getting out early, they did not get off to a good start in the run chase against Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT).
