"This world has gone bonkers!"- Fans furious as Kane Williamson misses SRH's opening game

Kiwi star batsman Kane Williamson hasn't found a place in the playing XI for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their opening game of the IPL 2021 season against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

SRH were always going to have the conundrum of choosing between Jonny Bairstow and Kane Williamson, since playing them both would have beefed up their top-order but would have made their lower-order considerably weaker.

The inclusion of Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi makes sense as he will not only provide depth in the SRH batting but will also be handy with his off-spin on a turning track in Chennai.

Bairstow had a sensational ODI series against India, where he scored 218 runs from three matches and won the Player of the Series award. However, he may come out to bat at No.4 given the fact that Wriddhiman Saha has also made it to the SRH XI.

Twitter reacts to Kane Williamson's exclusion

Fans were perplexed, as they believed Kane Williamson was a certain starter in the SRH line-up. The Kiwi scored 317 runs last season in 12 games at a very healthy strike-rate of 133.75. He also played a match-winning innings in the Eliminator.

This made Kane Williamson's exclusion even more shocking and the Twitterati certainly made their thoughts on it clear. Here is what they had to say:

Yep, don’t start with Kane Williamson. Great way to start, SRH. Nothing to add. Over and out. :)

— Sritama Panda (@cricketpun_duh) April 11, 2021

Kane Williamson deserves better team instead of a team which Tiktokia leads, spoiled whole mood to watch him bat

— Nitin (@LoyalMIfan) April 11, 2021

Danny Morrison confused Eoin Morgan so much that he almost forgot he was the fourth overseas player in the XI. No Kane Williamson for SRH, no Sunil Narine for KKR. Interesting calls right away from both camps.

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) April 11, 2021

No Kane Williamson in the side. This world has gone bonkers, keeping out the best player in these conditions out. Indeed come to CSK Kane🤦🏻

— Rajdeep Singh (@rajdeep189) April 11, 2021

AHH!! literally heartbroken 💔💔SRH in 2018>>>>>.Kane Williamson as captain 🧡#SRHvsKKR

— shravi | CSK 💛💛 (@ishqmeifanna) April 11, 2021

And again, the good guy Kane Williamson don't start the tournament. He has always stood up when required for #OrangeArmy but doesn't give balance to the team. #IPL2021 #SRHvsKKR

— ABS (@AbhiBSarda) April 11, 2021

Nice guy, bench deserves him more than the team

— 𝑫𝒆𝒗 🏏 (@Kohlization) April 11, 2021

Kane Williamson coming to CSK next season, SRH don't deserve him.

— Captain (@iEatCricket) April 11, 2021

You gotta feel for Kane Williamson. He is one of the best in the business, can bat anywhere from 1-5 but still is unable to get all 14 games for his team. How he gets his deserved place in a new franchise or @SunRisers XI from next year, because this year it will be tough...

— Manas Deshpande (@UlTiMaX002) April 11, 2021

SRH should have traded Kane Williamson to CSK in return of Kedar Jadhav. 👀 #IPL

— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) April 11, 2021

@SunRisers you either release or give max chances to play Kane Williamson It's very sad to see a player of such a caliber and character warming d bench.😭😑😑 https://t.co/zDQS1DPaLE

— Me_Raghav (@ratnakaramraju) April 11, 2021

There was another exclusion that perhaps raised fewer eyebrows. It came from the KKR camp as West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine was replaced by Bangladesh veteran Shakib Al Hasan as the overseas option.

Narine didn't have a great IPL 2020 season with bat or ball. However, that doesn't change the fact that he is one of the main reasons why KKR have won two IPL titles. It will be interesting to see whether the move to play Shakib ahead of Narine pays dividends

SRH have opted to bowl first and will look to restrict KKR to as low a score as possible. As seen in the opening game of the season, the track in Chennai will assist the spinners. Thus, Rashid Khan from SRH and KKR's Varun Chakravarthy might have the biggest impact on the game.