SRH vs DC: David Warner plays down battle against former IPL team

Mumbai: David Warner will meet his former IPL team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, for the first time in the 2022 season when Delhi Capitals (DC) play SRH at the Brabourne Stadium on Thursday.

Warner, who has scored 264 runs, including three half-centuries for Capitals in seven matches so far, said "My thoughts are like every other game, just keep going through your processes till you have to do it, training and just get ready for the game."

Capitals will head into the match on the back of a narrow 6-run loss against Lucknow Super Giants.

With eight points in nine matches, the Delhi-based franchise are currently placed sixth on the points table.

Reflecting on the 2022 campaign so far, Warner said, "I think if you look at the results, we've just missed out when we are chasing those big totals. We have managed to get so close, but they are the ones that hurt you."

"Moving forward from where we are, we've obviously got to win every game to make it to the finals. There's a strong competition, two teams we have got to come against - Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are pretty much similar points to us. We could get that upper hand if we beat Sunrisers. We then go into the top four, but obviously, we need RCB to start losing as well. It's quite a congested table, but exciting for the rest of the tournament," he added.

When asked about his form and the experience of batting with Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw, he said, "We've got off to a good start. In the last match, we've fallen cheaply, both of us, and that can happen in this game because we have to play that high-level brand of cricket in the power play."

He further emphasised on the role of the top three batters in the team. "I think the most important thing is myself or him (Shaw) or Mitch (Mitchell 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," said Warner. (UNI)