IPL 2018: Warner steps down as Hyderabad captain over ball-tampering row

Australian batsman David Warner on Wednesday stepped down as captain of IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad owing to the ball-tampering scandal that has tainted his reputation and shaken international cricket to the core.

"In light of recent events, David Warner has stepped down as captain of SunRisers Hyderabad. The new captain of the Team will be announced shortly," Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO K Shanmugam said in a tweet posted by the team's official handle.

 

“In light of recent events, David Warner has stepped down as captain of SunRisers Hyderabad. The new captain of the Team will be announced shortly.” – K.Shanmugam, CEO, SunRisers Hyderabad

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 28, 2018

Warner, along with Australian skipper Steve Smith and opener Cameron Bancroft, are in the line of fire due to the scandal that broke out during the third Test against South Africa in Johannesburg. Bancroft was caught on camera while using a sand paper to tamper the ball.

The trio was ordered to return home by Cricket Australia after a preliminary inquiry, which cleared coach Darren Lehmann of any involvement.

The 31-year-old Warner also reportedly irked the entire Australian dressing room by partying after the scandal.

Earlier, Smith had also stepped down as captain of another IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals, due to the incident, for which he was banned for one Test by the ICC.

Smith was replaced by Ajinkya Rahane as RR skipper.