David Warner admits he got ‘hurt’ after getting blocked by Sunrisers Hyderabad on social media

Australian opener David Warner opened up on his strained relationship with Indian Premier League (IPL) side Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and admitted that he got hurt when they blocked him on social media.

Warner led SRH to their only IPL title in 2016 when they beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He scored 69 off 38 in the final as his side set a 209-run target for RCB but they could only score 200 in reply.

The Aussie was sacked as SRH skipper midway in the IPL 2022 after his relationship with the franchise went south. While New Zealand’s Kane Williamson replaced him as the captain, the team could only get three wins in 14 matches.

In 2023, while Warner was trying to tag his former franchise in a post, he got to know that he had been blocked by them.

"It did (hurt) because it was a sense of like hurt for fans. The fans are the most important relationship you could have. With the engagement with the fans that I had, with the team had was very good," Warner said in a conversation with Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

He added that he has no idea he got blocked but it did feel bizarre because to this day, he is still connected with the fans.

"Not sure why I was blocked. But, I did engage with a lot of fans on the social media side for SRH. I did feel it was my duty to engage with the fans, making sure they keep coming back. 

"That's what is most important. But from the blocking point of view, I don't know. I have been sitting on it for about 5 years. It was bizarre. At the end of the day, I still got fans who come onto my page and talk to everyone. So it's great," he added.