David Warner became the most capped overseas captain in Indian Premier League (IPL) history when he walked out for the toss for Delhi Capitals against Kolkata Knight Riders during an IPL 2023 game in Delhi on Thursday.
The 36-year-old Warner surpassed compatriot Adam Gilchrist with his 75th appearance as captain in the IPL.
Warner first captained in the IPL during his previous stint with the Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils) in 2013, when he stood as the stand-in captain for Mahela Jayawardena. Warner was then roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 before the Australian took over the reins from Daren Sammy in 2015.
In his first full-fledged season as captain, SRH finished in the sixth-place with seven wins from 14 matches. The dashing opener then led Sunrisers to their maiden title in 2016 and topped the league’s batting charts with 848 runs in 17 matches. Warner became the only captain to lead the team to the title after finding itself in the Eliminator.
Warner led the SRH side into the Playoffs in 2017 before his one-year ban from competitive cricket due to the Sandpaper Gate scandal in 2018. Warner then returned as SRH’s leader in 2020 and propelled the side to the Playoffs once again.
While he was removed from captaincy mid-way through the 2021 season by SRH, Warner returned to the leadership role this season after regular skipper Rishabh Pant was indefinitely rule out of competitive cricket due to an accident in December 2022.
Warner is the joint-most successful foreign captain alongside Gilchrist with 35 wins. Warner has racked up over 3000 runs as captain in the IPL and has the highest average (47.20) among all captains who have crossed the mark.
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