David Warner reappointed as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain

The Australian batsman was in charge when the franchise won the competition for the first time in 2016, but lost the job in the wake of the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal in 2018

• IPL news

David Warner has been reappointed as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League.

The Australian batsman was in charge when the franchise won the competition for the first time in 2016.

However, he lost the role in the fallout of the ball-tampering scandal in 2018, with both Warner and Steve Smith then banned from taking part in the subsequent IPL.

He was replaced by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who retained the job even when Warner returned to the tournament in 2019. Bhuvneshwar Kumar acted as his vice-captain.

“I’m thrilled to be given the captaincy for this coming IPL in 2020,” Warner said in a video announcement. “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity once again to lead the team.

“I’d like to thank Kane and Bhuvi for the way that you guys led throughout the last couple of years and I’ll be leaning on you guys for support and your insight into the game.

“As for the management, thank you very much once again for giving me this opportunity and I’m sure I’ll be doing my very best to be leading us to that IPL trophy this year.”

The left-hander’s record in the tournament is almost unprecedented; he has twice been the top run-scorer over the course of a season. Only Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina have scored more runs in the competition's history.

Warner received a lifetime captaincy ban from Cricket Australia for his role in the events at Cape Town, though it does not apply beyond the national team.