David Warner lauded for playing Wriddhiman Saha as Hyderabad enter Dream11 IPL playoffs

The David Warner-led Hyderabad outfit secured a commanding 10-wicket win over Dream11 IPL points table-toppers Mumbai on Tuesday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. In doing so, the Men in Orange ended up at the third place on the Dream11 IPL points table and also booked their place in the Dream11 IPL 2020 playoffs.

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Twitterati laud David Warner and co. for replacing Jonny Bairstow with Wriddhiman Saha

Hyderabad didn't really perform consistently in the first 11 matches, having won four and lost seven. Besides their opening pair of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, the team didn't look much of a threat due to a vulnerable middle order and absence of their key pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. The team needed some serious changes in order to strengthen their bowling attack and provide the depth in the batting at the same time.

The Hyderabad think tank sprung a surprise by leaving out Jonny Bairstow to make way for Wriddhiman Saha in their 12th match against Delhi. Considering the form that Bairstow was in, this was a huge gamble by the Hyderabad franchise. The gamble paid off successfully as Saha grabbed his opportunity with both hands and delivered a match-winning performance by scoring a 45-ball 87 as Hyderabad defeated Delhi by a whopping 88 runs.

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Warner decided to go ahead with Saha in their 13th match against Bangalore and Saha delivered by top-scoring (39 off 32 balls) to guide his side to a five-wicket win. On Tuesday, Saha was among the runs once again against Mumbai as he scored an unbeaten 58 off 45 balls alongside Warner who scored 85* off 58 balls to guide their team to a stunning ten-wicket win. 

Hyderabad needed three consecutive wins in their last three matches against arguably the top three teams of the ongoing Dream11 IPL (Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai). It looked like the 2016 champions' campaign was all but over. However, Warner's side did the unthinkable as they managed to win all three matches to grant themselves a playoffs berth and one of the major reasons behind their turnaround was the bold decision to leave out Bairstow for Saha.

After their win over Mumbai which helped them qualify for the Dream11 IPL 2020 playoffs, netizens took to Twitter and lauded David Warner and the Hyderabad team management for taking such a brave decision during a crucial stage of the tournament, considering the team balance in mind, which also ensured that Hyderabad were able to play Jason Holder, an extra pacer with considerable international cricket and leadership experience both. Several reactions poured in as fans heaped praise on Warner and co. Let's take a look at a few reactions.

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David Warner's men will now lock horns with Virat Kohli's Bangalore in the Eliminator on Friday, November 6 in Abu Dhabi. Interestingly, these two teams had last met in the playoffs when the two competed in the IPL 2016 final. Back then, it was Hyderabad who emerged victorious by lifting the trophy. Virat Kohli's side has a great opportunity to avenge that defeat.

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SOURCE: IPL INSTAGRAM