Australian batsman David Warner has welcomed the opportunity to captain the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League again.
Warner lost the captaincy after being found guilty of ball-tampering during Australia's Test tour of South Africa in 2018.
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson and Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar then captained the Sunrisers in his absence.
He has since been reappointed, though, and will lead Hyderabad in the 2020 edition of the IPL later this year.
“Obviously Kane and Kumar did a fantastic job without me there. And we've got a very, very good foundation there, we've got a great family – the environment the owners have created amongst the players and staff. It's great to be back and leading, but I've always said in that team that everyone is a leader in their own right,” said Warner.
“I don't see it as a redemption tale, I just see it as an honour to captain the Sunrisers. I've got a great relationship with the players and the staff and most importantly with the owners, and I've expressed my gratitude to that and I thank them for that.
“Having Kane there adds so much value and knowledge of the way the game is played as well. Similarly, we rebound off each other with our ideas quite well. And obviously playing against Williamson – it helps when you are leading a team.
“But from where I sit, there's nothing different. I still considered myself a leader when I was there last year. It doesn't matter if you have a ‘C' next to your name or not, you're a leader in your own right.”
IPL in the UAE this Year
This year's IPL has been delayed by several months amid the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament will be hosted in the United Arab Emirates, rather than India.
“I'm not even sure the borders between Dubai and Abu Dhabi are open as well. The Board of Control for Cricket in India are working on that background. The other thing as well is to get the Australian and English players from the UK to Dubai,” added Warner.
“But when you look at it – in the big scheme of things – there's close to 12 or 14 different countries who have to merge into the UAE. So it's going to be a difficult process. But I'm sure they are trying to get everything aligned at the moment to make that happen.”
Hyderabad won the IPL in 2016. The Mumbai Indians are the reigning champions, having beaten the Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 final.