IPL 2019: SRH have players to replace Warner and Bairstow, says Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Admitting that Sunrisers Hyderabad will miss the services of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was back as the SRH leader after regular captain Kane Williamson had to fly back to New Zealand due to his grandmother’s demise, said Sunrisers have back-up plans ready.
cricket Updated: Apr 24, 2019 17:23 ISTThere are tough times ahead for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2019. After losing their last match against Chennai Super Kings(CSK) not only have they got Kings XI Punjab breathing down their neck in the IPL points table but they also have to tackle the absence of two of their most prolific batsmen – David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. While Bairstow has already played his last match for SRH this season, Warner too is slated to leave towards the end of this month. But SRH captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar believes they have the players in the squad who can replace Warner and Bairstow.
Admitting that SRH will miss the services of Warner and Bairstow, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was back as the SRH leader after regular captain Kane Williamson had to fly back to New Zealand due to his grandmother’s demise, said Sunrisers have back-up plans ready.
“We will obviously miss Bairstow and Warner but we have players in the squad who can replace them,” said Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the post-match presentation of the CSK vs SRH match at Chennai.
Both David Warner and Jonny Bairstow are slated to leave IPL mid-way to attend Australia and England’s World Cup preparatory camps respectively. They have been one of the main reasons behind SRH’s success this season. Warner is the current Orange Cap holder with 574 runs to his name, Bairstow too has set the stage on fire on his debut season. The England keeper-batsman has so far scored 445 runs at a mind-boggling strike rate of 157 and currently sits just Behind Warner in the IPL top run-scorers’ chart this season.
Kumar, however, did not specify as to who will fill the shoes of Warner and Bairstow once they leave IPL. Williamson is certain to return to India in a couple of days time and he will definitely get his spot back in the side. Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hassan, who played only his second match of the season last night against CSK, is expected to hold on to his spot once Warner and Bairstow leave.
The Sunrisers are currently at No. 4 in the points table with 10 points in as many matches. They need to win three of their next four matches to confirm a play-off berth.
“We have three away games now out of four and we have to win those games to qualify. We have to be our best to defeat RR,” Bhuvneshwar signed off.
First Published: Apr 24, 2019 17:23 IST