"Same franchise supported him when his own country banned him" - Irfan Pathan defends SRH in David Warner Saga

David Warner and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) had a falling out over the course of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 and the Australian was released by the franchise ahead of the Mega Auction before next season.

Warner, who had his captaincy stripped off mid-season, was also eventually dropped from the side and ultimately not retained.

SRH have been criticized for their handling of a player who has been the face of the franchise, performed brilliantly in all but one season, also leading them to their only IPL title in 2016.

However, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took to Twitter today to defend the franchise, saying they stood by Warner when even Australia had banned him from playing. Pathan wrote:

"Ppl who is questioning a franchise decision about a foreign player should also remember that the same franchise supported him when his own country banned him to play!"

In 2018, Warner was retained by SRH despite being slapped with a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia for the ball tampering scandal in the Test series against South Africa.

Warner stepped down from captaincy, but SRH wanted him in their team. However, the IPL decided that he would not be permitted to play the 2018 season.

Warner returned to play in IPL 2019 and in 2020, and he was reinstated as captain.

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"Chapter closed" - David Warner's farewell to SRH fans

SRH retained Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad and Umran Malik ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.

Following the retention announcement, David Warner took to social media to share a post, bidding farewell to the franchise and its fans.

"Chapter closed!! Thanks to all of the fans for your support over all the years, it was was much appreciated," Warner wrote.

David Warner is one of the most prolific batters in IPL history. He is the fifth-highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament, and the top-ranked overseas player on that list.

For SRH, Warner scored 3519 runs in 95 matches, with two centuries and 40 half-centuries.