Can Warner the player resuscitate Sunrisers, and his form?

When he is not winning them games, he is winning their fans’ hearts on social media. In the first half of 2020, when Covid-19 forced shut the whole world, Warner created a new one for himself on TikTok, where he and his family were often seen shaking a leg to South Indian songs. When he was not dancing, he was transforming himself — using a face-morphing filter — into Prabhas from the movie , or Rajinikanth from , and re-enacting iconic scenes. It felt as if he was giving the Sunrisers fans something to cheer about after the IPL was postponed.No wonder then the team management’s decision left Warner, according to Moody, «shocked» and «disappointed». But apparently once he understood the rationale behind it, he took it sportingly.In Sunrisers’ next game, against Rajasthan Royals, Warner was seen carrying drinks and rallying around the team as the 12th man. But his team, which was no longer team, lost once again. After the match, coach Trevor Bayliss did say it was «very challenging» in the middle without Warner the batter, but since Covid-19 halted the tournament soon after, it’s hard to judge how the move would have panned out.Since then, a lot has changed. The caravan has moved to the UAE. Several overseas players have pulled out for various reasons. Replacements have been signed. But in those four months, Warner has played no cricket. He skipped the Hundred and then Australia’s tours to the West Indies and Bangladesh, which means his last IPL appearance remains his last game in representative cricket.So, it’s difficult to say what Warner’s recent form is. However, with Bairstow pulling out, an overseas batting slot has opened up, and while Williamson will continue to the lead side, Warner is likely to return as a player.Kane Williamson, David Warner and Trevor Bayliss have a chat•BCCIBut has he come to the terms with playing just as a player? We have seen that a change of captain midway through an IPL season has rarely worked for teams. While Warner did play as a batter in the 2019 season, he knew that beforehand and, more importantly, the reason behind that was completely different.What’s for certain is that Warner will once again be jumping out of his skin. To brush off the rust that has accumulated during the self-enforced hiatus, and to prove that he is still the same batter who made all those runs for Sunrisers season after season.The IPL will act as a precursor to the T20 World Cup, which, as far as Australia are concerned, will be played on these same pitches. Time spent in the middle during the IPL will also help Warner get acclimatised to the conditions for the global tournament.Next year is also the mega IPL auction. So from both Warner’s and the franchise’s point of view, it’s important he bats like his old self. Can Moody and Bayliss stroke his ego to make him feel wanted?At the moment, Sunrisers are hanging by the thinnest of the threads, with two points from seven games. They have been here before, as recent as the last season when they had three wins from nine games. That time a team effort under Warner had buoyed them into the playoffs.Warner is not the captain anymore, but leadership comes in different forms. He will still be part of the think-tank and will be assisting Williamson in the middle. Moreover, he will be expected to lead a revival.