David Warner was out of sight but not out of mind through Sunrisers Hyderabad's journey to the final of last IPL, with the returning Australian saying he was part of their chat group, getting encouraging messages.
Along with fellow Australian teammate Steve Smith, Warner was banned for one year by Cricket Australia for their role in ball-tampering in South Africa last year.
Owing to the ban, both missed the Indian Premier League's last edition, but are now gearing up to compete in the 12th season of the cash-rich event.
"It's very important. It is one tournament on the calendar that I've always been looking forward to. I've had a lot of success over the years from when I first started," Warner was quoted as saying by 'India Today'.
The swashbuckling opener added, "From Delhi, I moved to Hyderabad. This is my second home and to come back here to open arms and to be greeted by the fans, some of the passionate and kind words, it means a lot to my family and myself.
"I'm just looking forward to the start of the tournament and playing and trying to go one step further from where the guys just couldn't get further last year. The fans have been fantastic. My teammates, lots of cuddles and high-fives... it's been brilliant. It felt like I was at home I can't thank them enough for sticking by me and always sending me nice messages."
"It would be wrong for me to say I wasn't emotional. I texted my wife and said 'look I can't get the smile off my face'. Because it's my second family, it was literally overwhelming because I'm back where I feel like I'm at home."
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