The former Australian campaign came into IPL 2019 on the back of a major controversy due to his involvement in the ball tampering fiasco.
The opening batsman badly needed a memorable performance that would re-establish him as one of the major star attractions in IPL and help wash off the stigma that he was struggling with. The opportunity presented itself on 29th April against Kings XI Punjab and he took full advantage of it.
Batting first at home, David was at his destructive best. After putting together a solid opening partnership with Wriddhiman Saha, he was pressure-free and practically unstoppable. For the larger part of the innings he hammered the bowlers all over the park, helping SRH reach a total of 212. The emphatic performance broke the opponents' spirit and KXIP couldn't put up much of a run chase, managing to notch up only 167.
This major victory ensured SRH's place in the playoffs where they lost narrowly to Delhi Capitals. But Warner's innings remained one of the most talked about performances by any batsman that season.