IPL 2022: Why David Warner could end up being the captain of RCB or KKR  

Not that there is one, but if there comes a day when the IPL decides to induct its legends into a Hall of Fame, David Warner will be one of the first names in the list. The player who made a stellar impression during his time with the Delhi Capitals was purchased by the Sunrisers […]
 
?width=963&height=541&resizemode=4
IPL 2022: Why David Warner could end up being the captain of RCB or KKR   

Not that there is one, but if there comes a day when the IPL decides to induct its legends into a Hall of Fame, David Warner will be one of the first names in the list. The player who made a stellar impression during his time with the Delhi Capitals was purchased by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014, and the rest, as they say, is history.

He went on to become one of the greatest T20 cricketers of all time, definitely the greatest in the history of the Hyderabad franchise. He scored over 500 runs every season for the club, besides the 2021 edition, which proved to be his last with the franchise. He won the Orange Cap 3 times, more than any other player in the tournament history.

5,449 runs, average of 41.6, a strike rate of 139.97, 50 half-centuries, 4 centuries – This is David Warner in the IPL. When you filter it to only Sunrisers Hyderabad, it gets even better – 4,014 runs, average around the 50-mark, strike rate in excess of 140 – these are numbers a cricketer can dream of, and when achieved, can be incredibly proud of.

He reached the autumn of his time with Orange Army, and will definitely be in new colors come the next season. Both the new franchises will be eager to make a convincing pitch to make him join their franchise, but if that doesn’t happen and he makes it to the auction, there will be more than a few teams desperate to gobble up his services.

Also Read: IPL 2022 Retentions: Complete List of all Players Retained and Released by Existing 8 Teams

IPL 2022: Why David Warner could end up being the captain of RCB or KKR   

However, there will be two teams looking at him with special attention, and no one in the room will be surprised by it. With Virat Kohli announcing that he will step down as captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, and with Kolkata Knight Riders retaining 4 players with different areas of excellence, they’re the only ones among existing sides, alongside Punjab Kings, without a clear captaincy option.

David Warner and Virat Kohli in the red of RCB

IPL 2022: Why David Warner could end up being the captain of RCB or KKR   

Kohli and Warner have tussled each other before as captains in an IPL final (2016).

Forget the cricketing aspect of this collaboration, every sponsor of the franchise will be dying to bring both these cricketers together for promotions and advertisements. It is one of the most enigmatic duos possible, and clearly, Warner would relish the idea of having to bat in the same lineup as Virat Kohli.

But his real contribution to the side can come in as the captain of this franchise. In the 14 seasons that transpired, only six different captains had the privilege of lifting the trophy and David Warner can proudly attest that accolade with broadened shoulders. Perhaps there might not be any statistical data backing this point, but it clearly makes a difference when you know you’ve done it before.

One of the best things about the 35-year-old as a captain is, it never really tarnishes his game as a batter. He seems to walk with the same rage and fury to hammer the ball, regardless of pulling up the captain’s armband. The 2016 campaign was a perfect example of it, when he got 848 runs at a strike rate north of 150.

That was the season he tasted the ultimate IPL glory, and since then, he has had many ups and downs, but none of them with the bat in hand. With AB de Villiers leaving, the club needs a proven towering presence in the middle, and perhaps there isn’t anyone better to do so in the market right now, than the player of the tournament in the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Or will he find his home in Kolkata?

IPL 2022: Why David Warner could end up being the captain of RCB or KKR   

Warner scored his first IPL century for Sunrisers against KKR.

Kolkata Knight Riders have retained Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer. It’s hard to see any of these players making a case for captaincy, and for pretty much the same reasons as RCB, the purple army will be involved in a massive bidding war for the player.

Kolkata have had resounding success whenever they had a dashing presence at the top of the order, a facet that has been missing in the last couple of seasons until the arrival of Venkatesh Iyer. However, they need more than what Iyer provides, which is not just to up the gear, but also the presence of mind to sometimes just stick around till the end.

Also Read: WATCH: Chris Gayle trolls David Warner; hunts for sandpaper in his pocket during T20 WC game

Chris Lynn was their last major signing among openers, and their attempts to open with Sunil Narine worked for a while until the bowlers analyzed how to curb the damage. They tried out many names like Robin Uthappa, Manvinder Bisla, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, etc., but it was to no good avail in the long run, with the exception of Uthappa’s 2014 campaign.

Warner seamlessly fits into that opening slot alongside Venkatesh Iyer, a pair that will drag attention from the entire country. With Iyer going for the Full-Monty and Warner mixing caution with aggression, he might find a home in this franchise a lot sooner than expected.

The role of an anchor in modern standards has been redefined, and perhaps prime Warner is a classic example of it. You need a player who can strike from ball 1, who can also try to restore parity with wickets falling by scoring runs rather than the old-school defensive consolidations, and despite involving plenty of risks, can score plenty of runs – This is the David Warner that could make Kolkata a champion unit.

They have been thirsty for success which hasn’t knocked on their door for a long time, and the acquisition of David Warner may just be the exact gap to fill in order to take this franchise to another level.