IPL 2019: David Warner back with a bang; Smith looks positive

David Warner has set the IPL 2019 ablaze

Kolkata, April 3: To borrow a term from Imran Khan, David Warner looked the 'cornered tiger' in the IPL 2019. His involvement in the Cape Town ball-tampering saga, the subsequent one-year ban from all forms of cricket and the removal from the captaincy of IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, Warner walked through a personal hell in the last 12 months.

Warner's turn for redemption eventually arrived in IPL 2019. In the very first match, the southpaw slammed 85 off 53 balls for Sunrisers against Kolkata Knight Riders and even though it did not earn his team a win, the Australian's comeback statement was emphatic.

Warner, who led SRH to their maiden IPL win in 2016, proved that that 85 was not a fluke as he belted a 37-ball 69 against Rajasthan Royals in the next game and followed it up with a 100 not out in 55 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore, making it evident how intensely the New South Wales batsman had been waiting for his return to IPL.

Warner said after that 85 that he was nervous ahead of his return to the T20 event but like a true champion, he took little time to escape from that nervous energy. Warner is now holding the orange cap for scoring the most runs - 254 - in just three matches at an average of 127 and at a strike-rate of 175. If his destructive form persists, then his best tally of runs in one edition (848 in 17 games in 2016) will also be not safe.

The form that Warner has shown so far will not only excite the SRH and their fans but also the Australian team which missed the service of both him and Steve Smith.

Australia didn't pick the duo for their recent ODI series against Pakistan but their form, especially that of Warner, will encourage the Aussie selectors to pick them for the upcoming World Cup and plug the loopholes the team has been carrying for sometime.

Smith, the other batsman who also came out of the ban, though has not been red-hot like Warner but his participation has ensured that his injury is not as threatening as it seemed even a few days back. Smith suffered an elbow injury while playing in the Bangladesh Premier League in January and returned home for treatment.

He returned to Rajasthan Royals and though he has scored only 86 runs in three matches, he is too good a batsman to miss out. A good knock from the former Australia captain and his country will feel even more confident ahead of the WC.