It's a sort of Delhi homecoming for the flambouyant Australia opener, David Warner. The 35-year-old is all set to play his first match for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Thursday.
Warner was roped in by Delhi Capitals during the IPL mega auction for a relatively conservative INR 6.25 crore. The left-handed opener was let go by Sunrisers Hyderabad during their troubled IPL 2021 campaign.
Warner joined the Delhi camp on Saturday after his stint with the Australian national cricket team in Pakistan. He has since completed the mandatory three-day quarantine in isolation.
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"It's exciting to be back in the franchise which played a big part at the beginning of my IPL career. There are some familiar faces around and there are some new faces, so I'm excited to get into it," Warner said about the prospects of playing for Delhi again.
Delhi Capitals started their IPL 2022 campaign with a four-wicket win over five-time champions Mumbai Indians at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. But Rishabh Pant & Co lost the next match, to one of the debutants Gujarat Titans by 14 runs at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
Tonight, they meet the other debutants, Lucknow Super Giants at Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai. And Warner is already prepared for the clash.
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"We just need to put our best foot forward and play a complete game. Fielding is the biggest component of the game and if we can hold our catches and field as well as we can, then we can go a long way in this tournament," he added.
Talking about young captain Pant, Warner said, "I want to learn how to play the one-handed shots from Rishabh. He's a young guy learning the ropes of leadership and he has been an integral part of the Indian team as well. I am excited and I can't wait to be bat with him in the middle."
Warner is the fifth-highest scorer in the IPL with 5286 runs. The Aussie star started his IPL career with the Delhi franchise, then known as Delhi Daredevils in 2009.
Regarded as one of the most destructive batters, Warne helped Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title last year in the United Arab Emirates.
Warner also spoke about the opportunity to work with fellow Australia and Delhi head coach Ricky Ponting.
"Ricky has had a fair bit of success with DC. He was a great leader for Australia and now he has a lot of respect as a coach. I am looking forward to working with him," Warner said.
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The Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals match starts at 7:30 PM IST. It can be watched live on Star Sports Network. Live streaming of the match will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.
