Is David Warner the key to Delhi Capitals' IPL 2022 play-off fortunes?

A ferocious 92 not out from David Warner last week has thrust the Australian into the spotlight as the Delhi Capitals' most important batter in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL).

It set up a thumping victory for the Capitals, who sit one spot out of the play-off equation on the IPL ladder at five wins and six losses.

Warner battered Sunrisers Hyderabad, his former side, all over the park, notching up 12 fours and three sixes, including the innings-highlight - a freakish switch hit off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling for four.

Warner is currently the fifth-highest run-scorer in IPL 2022, with a run tally of 375 and a batting average of 53.57. Importantly, he has held such a status after just nine innings, with those ahead of him having batted at least 11 of 12 innings in the tournament.

Rishabh Pant is the next most-prolific run-scorer for the Delhi Capitals, but has a run tally of almost 100 runs less (281).

Warner has returned scores of 4 (12 balls), 61 (45), 66 (38), 60* (30), 28 (14), 42 (26) 3 (4), 92* (58) and 19 (12). His lowest score within a winning cause was that of 42, demonstrating his critical importance to the team.

A consistent factor has been his enthralling ability to score quickly, having registered a strike rate of 156.9 so far this tournament, alongside 46 fours and 14 sixes.

Additionally, Warner is the only batter to score four or more half-centuries in IPL 2022, quickly mounting him as a case for the most valued batter in the competition.

That value is compounded and seemingly enhanced given he was 'stolen' by his franchise at the IPL 2022 mega auction for just ₹ 6.25 crore after his old side SunRisers Hyderabad elected not to retain him after a poor 2021 campaign.

Warner's 92* last week was the perfect reminder for the ailing SunRisers side of their decision, leaving them envious of what could have been had Warner remained in the orange and black.

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Can Warner power the Capitals to a finals berth?

Warner himself has identified his role in the IPL team set-up as one of the most critical in the Capitals' fortunes. He said that the top order would need to fire, while also claiming his side would almost certainly need to win all their remaining games.

"I think the most important thing is myself or him [Shaw] or Mitch (Marsh) scoring an 80 or 90 or even a hundred if we can, to post good totals or chase down big totals, and that's the key.

"I think that's the focus for every other team. The teams who are doing well are scoring big runs at the top of the order. And, two players are actually scoring big in the games, they are the ones that you really need to shine to win these games," he said last week, in an official Delhi Capitals release.

Warner's purple patch of form has collided with the opportunity to become the first overseas batter to reach 6000 career runs in the IPL. Incredibly, 1000 of those runs have come against the Punjab Kings.

Last week, Warner recorded his 400th six in all T20 cricket, a remarkable feat.

When batting in the IPL, for Australia, or otherwise, Warner has long been at his best when there's a significant prize on the line, or when the going gets tough.

It is somewhat of a 'comeback story', given that since he was dropped by the SunRisers, he has been awarded Man of the Tournament in the 2021 T20 World Cup and is now dominating IPL 2022.

With three games to go, two of which are against the eighth-placed Punjab Kings and the last-placed Mumbai Indians, can Warner power his side to to a play-offs berth?