WARNER LEFT ON THE IPL OUTER IN DENT TO CUP PREP

DAVID Warner’s T20 World Cup preparation could be limited to six balls and just two runs after the Australian opener was dropped by his Indian Premier League team.

Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Trevor Bayliss, the former England coach, said a push to give more young players game time, with his side unable to make the IPL finals, was behind the move.

But it means Warner, who has played just two IPL games since April as his only cricket before next month’s T20 World Cup, could be restricted to just net practice and any Australian warm-up games to hone his skills.

Warner watched the game from the team hotel with squad sizes at the venues limited.

Speculation is now rife Warner has played his final game for the franchise ahead of the league‘s mega auction next year.

“Look, that certainly has not been discussed,” Bayliss said.

“Those decisions will be made further down the line. He has been a great contributor to Hyderabad for a number of years now. He is very well respected with the amount of runs he has scored. I am sure he has got a lot more runs in him yet in the IPL.

“(But) we’ve got a lot of young players here, and for this match we decided obviously we’re going to make a few changes in the team.”

Warner, 34, made a duck to open the restarted IPL, and then just two in his second innings, facing a total of six balls across the two games.

They were his first matches since the IPL was abandoned in April, after he chose to skip Australia’s white-ball tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh.

Australia could play two warm-up matches before the T20 World Cup in the UAE.