Sunrisers sign Alex Hales as Warner's replacement

Sunrisers Hyderabad have signed England batsman Alex Hales as replacement for disgraced Australian batsman David Warner for the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have signed England batsman Alex Hales as a replacement for disgraced Australian cricketer David Warner for the 11^th edition of the Indian Premier League.

David Warner, who was expected to lead the 2016 IPL champions in the upcoming season, was barred from the tournament following CA’s 12-month ban on the player for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal.

Hales was bought for his base price of Rs one crore as a replacement for 31-year-old Warner.

Hales is the first and only England player till date to score a T20I century. He is also the top-ranked English player and the only one to feature in the top-10 list of the ICC T20I rankings.

Breaking news: Alex Hales, the hard hitting English batsman has joined the #OrangeArmy ! pic.twitter.com/6j4kuSCuXa

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 31, 2018

This will be his second stint in the Indian Premier League, having played for three-time IPL champions – Mumbai Indians in the past.

The 29-year-old will have big boots to fill as Warner was one of Sunrisers' match-winners.

Earlier, on Thursday, Sunrisers had appointed Kane Williamson as their skipper for the 11^th edition.

The Hyderabad based franchise will play Rajasthan Royals in the opener on April 9.