Williamson replaces Warner as Sunrisers captain

New Delhi: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has replaced the disgraced David Warner as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad, a day after the Australian was barred from the IPL for his role in the ball-tampering controversy in South Africa.

“I’ve accepted the role to stand in as captain for this season. It’s an exciting opportunity with a talented group of players. I look forward to the challenges ahead,” Williamson said in a tweet posted by the franchise’s official twitter handle.

“We are happy to announce Kane Williamson as the the captain of SunRisers Hyderabad for IPL 2018.” added team’s CEO K Shanmugam.

Warner, declared the chief plotter of the infamous incident, apologised for his role in the scandal. He was the captain of SRH last season.

The temperamental opener has been banned for a year and ruled out of any leadership role in future due to the incident.

Shikhar Dhawan was another big name expected to replace Warner as Sunrisers captain.

However, Williamson captaining Sunrisers means there will one overseas leader in the IPL and seven Indian captains.

Williamson is currently busy with the home Test series against England.