Dropping David Warner from SRH was not related to cricket, reveals Brad Haddin

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) assistant coach Brad Haddin has revealed that the reason to drop David Warner during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 was not related to cricket. The southpaw was dropped from SRH playing XI after a string of low scores. Warner was stripped off his leadership duties in the first leg before dropping him from the team. Given that Warner had been the most consistent performer for SRH and the impact he can have on a game, the decision to drop Warner left many stunned. Haddin hinted about something fishy but didn't disclose the actual reason for Warner's ouster.

"I tell you what it was not a cricket decision that he was not playing for SunRisers Hyderabad. I think the one thing you have to realize with David is that he was not out of form, he was out of match practice. They had a long break, he did not go to Bangladesh or West Indies. But he turned up in really good headspace. He was hitting the ball well, circumstances were out of our control, even the coaching staff," said Haddin on the Grade Cricketers Podcast.

The critics started to write off Warner but the 34-year-old made the right noises by making his bat talk. He scored 289 runs in seven games and won the Player of the Tournament award in the 20-20 World Cup. Warner scored 53 runs in the final against New Zealand and helped Australia win their maiden title. In the lead-up to the UAE leg of the IPL, the southpaw didn’t play two T20I series against West Indies and Bangladesh. Haddin revealed Warner was not out of form but match practice and needed just a few games to get back to form. "But it was not because he was out of form. All he needed was some match time, he was hitting the ball well. He just needed to spend some time in the middle to get the rhythm again. As the tournament went on, you have seen his class. He got a bit of rhythm back into his game, and he was good to watch," he added.

Going by the developments, it's almost certain that SRH won't retain David Warner for the IPL 2022. However, the southpaw can expect to draw big money in the mega auction, especially after the stellar performance in the 20-20 World Cup.