IPL 2018: 3 players who can captain Hyderabad if David Warner is sacked

In the latest development to the "Sandpaper Gate" incident, Australian skipper Steve Smith has stepped down as the leader of the Rajasthan Royals for the IPL 2018, which begins on April 7. Speculations are rife about David Warner’s IPL captaincy too. Either the Sunrisers Hyderabad will remove him from the helm, or following Smith’s footsteps, Warner will himself step down as the captain. In either of the two circumstances, here’s looking at 3 possible captaincy replacements for Warner.

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#3 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan has been with the franchise since 2012

Shikhar Dhawan was retained by the Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the auctions and is expected to form a formidable opening partnership with David Warner. 3561 runs from 127 IPL games makes Dhawan one of the top performers in the tournament and an instant crowd favorite. But talking about captaincy alone, is it his experience at the top level, along with his previous association with the Hyderabad franchise, which can make him a possible replacement for captain Warner. He has been with the Sunrisers since the 2012 season and is thus better acquainted with the team and playing conditions on the home ground Rajiv Gandhi stadium.

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#2 Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib is the best all-rounder in the world currently

The Bangladesh all-rounder, who previously played for the Kolkata Knight Riders, is currently the world’s best Test and ODI all-rounder, and third best in T20Is. His wealth of experience, both at the IPL and international level, along with him being the captain of his national team in all three formats, makes Shakib one of the front-runners for the possible vacant post. He has picked up 43 wickets in as much as matches he has played in the IPL, besides scoring 498 runs with the bat, at a strike rate of 130.36.

#1 Kane Williamson

Williamson has been a part of Sunrisers since 2015

Captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, Kane Williamson, if there be a need, will be the first-choice replacement for Warner as the captain. And although he is only 3-years old in the IPL, his wealth of international experience can make him a good skipper for Hyderabad, who will be aiming at their second IPL title this season. In the 15 matches played by the 27-year-old in the IPL, he has scored 411 runs at a strike rate of 130. He was particularly impressive last season in which he notched up 256 runs in 7 games at a strike rate of 151.