Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has backed David Warner to attract big bids during the upcoming mega auction for the Indian Premier League 2022 if Sunrisers Hyderabad decide to not retain him. Warner had a torrid time with SRH during the IPL 2021 where he was sacked from the captaincy before being dropped.

Warner has been one of the star batters in the Indian Premier League. He led SRH to their maiden IPL title back in 2016 and has been a constant performer with the bat as well. However, he was a rare dip in form during the IPL 2021 and the franchise decided to drop him from the playing XI while naming Kane Williamson to captain the side.

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Warner has comfortably put the lean patch of the IPL behind by guiding Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title in the UAE, where he was named the player of the tournament for scoring 289 runs in seven matches.

Now, Sunil Gavaskar believes he will attract big bids in the upcoming auction of the IPL if SRH not retain him.

“Definitely (will be one of the sought-after players). Don’t forget that there are two new teams as well. Don’t forget the experience he brings, he brings in leadership qualities as well. This is a format made for him. He is so energetic on the field. He would definitely be right at the top of people wanted by the two new teams or any other team because it doesn’t look that SunRisers are going to retain him,” Gavaskar told India Today.

He further mentioned that the forgettable time in the SRH camp this year inspired him to go big in the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE.

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“That was a bit hard, to be honest, making him sit in the hotel while some of the ordinary players who were not even going to be in the playing XI were at the ground… There must have been much more than a lack of form that might have forced them to ask him to stay back.

“As far as Australia is concerned, I think they are probably saying that was kind of the thing that was needed to spur him on to the performances that we have seen in this World Cup,” Gavaskar added.

Gavaskar said it was evident that Warner did not lack self-belief despite the forgettable IPL season with SunRisers Hyderabad.

“He is a positive-thinking performance. He doesn’t look back at what’s happened. He must have told himself that ‘what has happened in the past has happened. The future is only in my hands’. Also, don’t forget at the start of the T20 World Cup also, he didn’t do well in the warm-up matches and there were questions asked about his place in the side. Again, the self-belief that has got him to this situation,” Gavaskar added.