Kumar Sangakkara yesterday dropped himself from the playing XI, for their match against Pune Warriors, following a poor run of scores for his IPL team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, in its first five matches this season. Cameron White led Sunrisers in place of Sangakkara. South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock played in the match in place of Sangakkara.
Meanwhile in the Pune Warriors camp, Ross Taylor stepped down from captaincy as their regular skipper Angelo Mathews returned after having missed his side’s previous game, held in Chennai. With Mathews returning, and Mitchell Marsh and Steven Smith performing well, Warriors had no option but to leave Taylor out.
Sangakkara had left himself out in the previous IPL season as well, when he was Deccan Chargers’ captain. He made only 15, 16, 23, 28 and 2 in five games this season.
De Kock has made 524 runs at an average of 52.40 at a strike-rate of 145.55 in T20s, during the South African domestic season. But he made only two runs yesterday.
