Williamson looks to future without Warner

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson says David Warner's absence from the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League is a "big loss", but took heart from an impressive opening win against Rajasthan.

Warner – who was suspended from the tournament for his involvement in the ball-tampering saga in Cape Town – was stood down from his lucrative A$2.4m contract with the Sunrisers, the team he has featured in since 2014.

Williamson took over the captaincy in the absence of Warner and his side recorded a nine-wicket win against the Rajasthan Royals on Monday night, but stressed that a player of the Australian's calibre couldn't be replaced.

"I don't think anyone can replace Dave, he's world-class and his performances in the last couple of years have been some of the best of the competition, it's a big loss for us and that partnership at the top of the order," Williamson said.

Australia's former vice-captain leads the franchise for total runs scored, his 2579 runs more than 400 more than next best Shikhar Dhawan and he remains the only Hyderabad player to score a century.

Warner and Dhawan formed one of the more damaging duos in IPL history, statistically only behind Virat Kohli's pairings with Chris Gayle and AB De Villiers in terms of runs scored.

But despite his batting prowess and impressive captaincy record across 45 matches – which includes a winning rate of 58 per cent – Williamson said the team was moving in the right direction without him after their victory over Rajasthan.

"Obviously, Dave is a huge part of this team, fantastic performer, led the team superbly well, but there are some changes this year.

"It was nice to come out and play really well as a team and it's important that we look to improve and build on this performance for the next game," he said.

New Zealand's captain ironically stands to be one of the main beneficiaries of Warner's absence, elevated to a leadership position and guaranteed to feature in every match. He had played in only seven of the Sunrisers matches last season.

Williamson was full of praise for Aussie quick Billy Stanlake, who claimed 1-29 in his first match for the Sunrisers after his debut season with the Royal Challengers Bangalore last year.

Stanlake removed the dangerous Ben Stokes, caught by Williamson at mid-wicket for 5, and despite dropping Rahul Tripathi in a difficult outfield diving attempt, showed good signs in the field.

"He's a point of difference in our side, he's an aggressive option and bowls very quickly and a very tall guy, he balances the side nicely," Williamson said.

"It's always a challenge, you come to the ground and you look at the conditions and the opposition and you try and pick the best team possible, he bowled very nicely today."

Hyderabad next face the Mumbai Indians on Friday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.