Australia's explosive batter David Warner opened up about the incident when Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) blocked him on social media. In 2023, Warner learned that he had been blocked by his former Indian Premier League (IPL) team as he was trying to congratulate his Australian teammate Travis Head for joining SRH. Travis was bought by SRH for 6.8 crores.
Warner joined the SRH during the 2014 IPL auction and became one of their main stars for the next few seasons. After being appointed as captain of the franchise in 2015, he led them to their first IPL title in 2016. He also won the Orange Cap three times during his time with the Hyderabad side.
During R Ashwin's chat show on May 6, he was questioned about the incident and he accepted that he was emotionally affected and hurt that the franchise had blocked him.
"The reason it hurt was because of the fans. In my opinion, the fans are the most crucial relationship a player can have. The level of engagement I had with the team and the fans was exceptional. I felt a sense of duty to interact with them," Warner said during the show titled Kutti Stories with Ash.
"Not sure why I was blocked. I have been sitting on it, but it was bizarre," he added.
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In 2021, he was sacked from the captaincy and then axed from the team. SRH ultimately released Warner ahead of the 2022 IPL mega auction and then he was bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) for 6.25 crore. Warner also shared screenshots of the block on social media platforms.
“If you are going to drop a captain and then not pick him in the team after what he has done, what message does that send to the young kids in the team? What message does that send to the rest of the group? What hurt me the most is that the other guys are now thinking, ‘oh, this could happen to me’," Warner further added.
“At the end of the day, whatever happens, cop it cop it on the chin. If you want to have those conversations, just have them. It’s not hard. Don’t shy away from them. I am not going to bite. I am going to sit here and accept that for what it is because you are not picking me in the team," he concluded.
Warner's Performance in IPL 2024 so far
Currently, Warner is playing for Rishabh Pant-led DC in the IPL 2024. He has scored 167 runs in seven matches at an average of 23.86 and a strike rate of 135.77 including one half-century so far.
Notably, DC will cross swords with Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals (RR) on May 7 at the iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium.
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