Sydney [Australia]: Australia's opening batsman David Warner has said that he does not see the leadership of SunRisers Hyderabad as a tale of "redemption" for him.
Warner will be leading the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise this year. In the 2019 edition, he played under the leadership of Kane Williamson as the left-handed batsman was making a comeback after his one-year ban due to the involvement in the ball-tampering scandal.
Earlier this year, Hyderabad had announced that Warner would be back to lead the side. In 2016, the Australian had led the franchise to the IPL title win.
"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. I'll put my thinking cap on and try my best to move us forward to another IPL title," a website quoted Warner as saying.
"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," he added.
The IPL is slated to be played in the UAE from September 19 - November 8 this year. Earlier, the tournament was scheduled to begin from March 29, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, Warner said that BCCI needs to do a lot of homework in order to get all players together in the UAE.
"From what's been circulating there are two start dates - around the 18th or 19th September, pending quarantine in the UAE. And if we do have to quarantine, I think that allows time for the Australian and English players to get there and start around the 25th or 26th of September. Unsure and unclear what dates a lot of the IPL franchises are going to gather in the UAE. There's obviously a few government regulations we have to adhere to as well," Warner said.
"I'm not even sure the borders between Dubai and Abu Dhabi are open as well. The BCCI is working on that background. The other thing as well is to get the Australian and English players from the UK to Dubai. 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," he added.
The IPL Governing Council will meet on August 2 to finalise the schedule and other key arrangements for the tournament, which is now to be held in the UAE.
"We are having the governing council meeting on 2nd of August and major issues," a BCCI source had told ANI.
The governing council meeting is expected to discuss the quarantine measures along with the standard operating procedures (SOP), bio bubble training facilities, stay and travel of the players.
Issues related to the broadcaster, shifting, and scheduling of the tournament and DXB app to be downloaded for players and other officials are likely to be discussed as well.
