Picture Credit: IPL
David Warner and Sunrisers Hyderabad has been one of the most beloved partnerships in the history of the Indian Premier League. Since joining the franchise in 2014, the Aussie has been the face of SRH, having also led the side to their maiden IPL title in 2016. The swashbuckling opener has amassed runs consistently at top order for the side and while he has been a hero on the field, he shared an extremely special bond with the fans off the field.
However, the 2021 season turned out to be rather difficult for franchise, fans and David Warner. The Aussie was relieved from captaincy duties after a poor start to the season and he was later also dropped from the playing XI. As SRH clinched the wooden spoon this season, the disappointment for the fans was doubled when they saw their former skipper not even included in the 18-men squad for the final few matches.
It was heartbreaking for the Orange Army fans to see Warner in the stands cheering for his side like a normal supporter. With mega auctions set to take place after this season, it was quite evident with the sequence of events this season, that the 34-year-old might have played his last game for SRH.
It's difficult, a bitter pill to swallow: David Warner
While he remained silent throughout the saga, David Warner recently opened up about his feelings on what transpired during the IPL 2021 season. Although the Aussie hinted that he might be playing for a new team next season, he did mention the fact that he would love to play for SRH if the owners want him to.
He said, "The disappointing thing for me was not being explained why I was dropped as captain. I think if you want to go along the lines of form, it's a difficult one because I guess whatever you've done in the past would have some weightage moving forward, especially when you've played 100 [95] games for the franchise," while talking to Sports Today.
"I had four bad games, two run-outs in that, on slow and low wickets in Chennai. It's difficult, a bitter pill to swallow but I don't think I will ever get answers and must move on. It's time to look forward, there's another auction coming up. I'd love nothing more than to represent Sunrisers still, but the decision remains with the owners and what direction the franchise wants to go in," Warner added.
#NoWarnerNoSRH trends on Twitter
It seems like the recent comments from David Warner have really saddened the entire Orange Army as many people went on Twitter to offer their support to the Aussie. Around more than 13k tweets have already been posted under #NoWarnerNoSRH where the fans are requesting the franchise to retain their former skipper for next season.
A heartfelt letter written by SRH fans is also doing rounds on social media, where they have penned down their feelings for David Warner. The Orange Army fans have also expressed why they want the management to back their most consistent batsmen of all time.