IPL 2018: Should David Warner be sacked as captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad?

The build-up to the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League, starting from the 7th of April, was marred by the news of Steve Smith stepping down as the skipper of the Rajasthan Royals on Monday afternoon, following his open admission to the press about Australia's involvement in ball tampering during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

During the press conference where Smith spoke about the incident, he referred to a 'leadership group' which was involved in devising the plan, without directly naming who was part of it.

However, indications as to who did feature in it were given a day after the incident when, along with Smith, whose captaincy was taken away, David Warner was also penalised, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) taking away his vice-captaincy position as well for the game.

Smith done. Is Warner next in line for the sack?

While there is no confirmation about whether Warner did feature in the leadership group that took the call to tamper with the ball, there is no denying the fact that the left-hander has endured a torrid last couple of weeks in South Africa.

His involvement in the verbal war of words with South African wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock was backed by video evidence captured in the corridors of the Kingsmead dressing room and that incident has certainly made a dent to his reputation as a person and not necessarily as a cricketer.

VVS Laxman, the team mentor for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), released a statement on Monday that a decision on whether the left-hander would lead the 2016 champions or not would be taken only after Cricket Australia took a call on him.

SRH sources told Sportskeeda that no clear decision had been taken on the matter yet.

There is no denying the kind of effect his captaincy has had on the franchise. Since taking over from Darren Sammy in 2015, the franchise has reached the Playoff stage in three out of the four editions, winning the title in 2016.

Several players, including the likes of Kane Williamson, praised his style of leadership in the manner in which he led from the front.

However, the scenario right now for Warner is different and he finds himself in desperate need to improve his identity that has taken a beating.

While there is no doubting his batting credentials, it remains to be seen whether his off-field antics do have an impact in the minds of the SRH board, like it did have with the RR board in the case of Smith.

The possible candidates if Warner is sacked

If Warner is sacked as skipper of the side in the coming days, then Sunrisers can consider themselves to be fortunate enough to have able men at their disposal.

Among the foreign recruits, the likes of Williamson and Shakib-Al-Hasan, captains for New Zealand and Bangladesh in the shortest format, remain good bets to take the team forward.

In the Indian contingent, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Manish Pandey can be given a go. The former, in fact, has led the side in the past and knows the dynamics of the team.

For the time being, though, Warner remains the leader of the side and the next few days could prove to be crucial not just for him but also for the chances of the team in the upcoming edition of the IPL.