IPL 2020, SRH vs DC: David Warner joins Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni in elite record after 34-ball 66 vs Delhi Capitals

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain David Warner joined Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni in an elite Indian Premier League (IPL) record on Tuesday.

Warner, who took Delhi Capitals (DC) by storm at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, reached 2,500 runs as captain in the IPL. He was the first overseas player to do so, and overall, he was the fifth player in the IPL to register 2,500 or more runs after Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Kohli, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Dhoni, former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Gautam Gambhir, and Rohit Sharma of Mumbai Indians (MI).

Kohli, who is the leading run-scorer in the IPL, has scored 4,425 runs as captain out of his tally of 5,827 runs. Dhoni, who has scored 4,631 runs, has scored 4,341 runs as captain. Gambhir had scored 3,518 runs as captain. Rohit, who has led MI to four IPL titles, has scored 2,953 runs as captain. Among these mentioned skippers, only Warner (1) and Kohli (5) have scored a century or more while leading their respective sides.

On Tuesday, Warner recorded his IPL career's 47th half-century. He reached the 50-run mark off just 25 balls before he was eventually dismissed for 66 from 34 balls. Batting at a strike-rate of close to 200, the Australian batter hammered two sixes and eight fours in his knock, while he also shared a 107-run opening stand with Wriddhiman Saha. DC spinner Ravichandran Ashwin broke the partnership by removing Warner in the 10th over.

Warner, who turned 34 on Tuesday, went after DC fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. The South African pacer came into the attack to bowl the final over of the powerplay and Warner, batting on 32 from 20, was at the strike. The Australian explosive batsman struck Rabada for two consecutive fours, followed by a six before he struck three more boundaries to take SRH at 77 for no loss at the end of the sixth over. Warner not only completed his third fifty of IPL 2020 but also led SRH to their third highest powerplay score in the IPL.

The 34-year-old is only among the five batsmen to have scored 5,000 or more runs in the history of IPL, while he is the only overseas batsman to achieve the landmark. With 5,142 runs at an average of 42.85, Warner is fourth in the list of most runs in the IPL, ahead of DC's Shikhar Dhawan, and behind leader Kohli, Suresh Raina, and Rohit.

While Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) captain KL Rahul is the current leading run-scorer at the ongoing IPL 2020 with 595 runs in 12 innings, Warner is placed third in the list, having scored 436 runs in 12 innings at an average of 39.63.

SRH have managed only four wins in 11 games. To have a shot at the playoffs, SRH have to win their remaining three group matches, including the one against DC that is currently underway in Dubai. Courtesy of Warner and Saha's half-centuries, SRH have posted 219 for 2 in 20 overs.