Williamson replaces Warner as SRH captain for remainder of IPL 2021

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have named Kane Williamson as their captain for the rest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. The New Zealand captain replaces David Warner at the helm and will take charge from their next game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on  Sunday (May 2) SRH have made a torrid start to the season, having lost five of their six games so far.

Making the announcement on Twitter, SRH said that they will be looking to make a change to their overseas combination, but at the same time retierated that Warner will play a part in their campaign. "Sunrisers Hyderabad would like to announce that Kane Williamson will be taking over the captaincy for tomorrow's match and for the remainder of IPL 2021," the SRH release said.

"The team management has also made the decision that they will be changing their overseas combination for tomorrow's match against Rajasthan Royals."

This decision has not come lightly as the management respects the enormous impact David Warner has had for the franchise over a number of years. As we face the remainder of the season we are sure David will continue to help us strive for success both on and off the field," it further added. 

Warner is SRH's second-highest run-scorer this season with 193 runs from six innings, but his strike-rate of 110.28 has hurt his team. He was criticised for his slow 55-ball 57 against CSK - a game SRH lost by seven wickets after putting up 171 on the board.

Under Warner, SRH won their maiden IPL title in 2016, which till date remains their only triumph. The Australia batsman took charge of the franchise in 2015 and under his leadership, the franchise has reached the playoffs every year since 2016. Williamson led SRH to an IPL final in 2018 - a year Warner missed due to a one-year ban.