Australia’s cricketing legend David Warner is set to make his highly awaited debut in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year. Stepping into command as the Karachi Kings captain, Warner is bringing his rich experience from various franchise leagues to the stage of the PSL for the first time.
“I Want to Play Cricket”: Warner Backs Up Trolling Accusations
At his first press conference before Karachi Kings’ opening match against Mohammad Rizwan’s Multan Sultans, a Pakistani reporter threw a sensational question at Warner. The journalist claimed that “many Indians” were trolling the Australian cricketer for signing up with the PSL after remaining unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
David Warner, however, strongly refuted any information regarding such criticism.
“This is the first I’ve heard of it. From my perspective, I want to play cricket. There’s an opportunity to come to PSL. My international calendar didn’t allow me to come to PSL due to the timings. Now, I want to compete, captain the Karachi Kings, and hopefully we are able to win the trophy,” Warner replied.
IPL Journey of David Warner Ends—for Now
David Warner represented Delhi Capitals in the last IPL season and even led the team during 2023 after Rishabh Pant’s car accident sidelining. Nevertheless, Delhi Capitals released Warner before the November 2024 auction, omitting him from this year’s IPL.
Despite the setback, Warner remains the most successful overseas batter in IPL history. He has scored 6,565 runs in 184 appearances, playing for Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Appreciatively, he took SRH to an IPL title in 2016. His tally has him ranked fourth in the leading IPL run-scorers’ list behind only Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Rohit Sharma.
Currently, with no foreign commitments since leaving the game last year, Warner is all set to start a new chapter in Pakistan’s premier T20 league—ripe to capture the leadership mantle and chase silverware with Karachi Kings.