Former Australian cricketer David Warner has been charged with a drunk driving offence in Sydney.
Warner, who is currently leading the Karachi Kings in the 2026 Pakistan Super League, has been relieved of his duties and is allowed to return home due to a seven-day break between their matches. The Kings last played on April 2, with their next game scheduled for April 9.
During this time, Warner was stopped by local police in Sydney on the evening of April 5. He underwent a breath test for alcohol, which returned a positive result.
The legal limit for breath tests in Australia is 0.05, but Warner’s reading was 0.104. He was arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station, where he has been charged to appear in court in May.
“About 5:30pm today (Sunday 5 April 2026), police were conducting random breath testing on Malabar Road, Maroubra,” stated the police report.
“A van reportedly stopped before the testing site. Officers approached the vehicle and performed roadside testing on the driver – a 39-year-old man – which yielded a positive result.”
“He was arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station, where a second test recorded a reading of 0.104. The individual was issued a Field Court Attendance Notice for driving with middle-range PCA, scheduled to appear before the Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, 7 May 2026.”
Before this incident, Warner’s Karachi Kings were performing well in the PSL. They won all three of their matches, with Warner contributing significantly at the bat. In a game against the new franchise Rawalpindiz, he scored 50 off 36 balls, helping the Kings chase down 198 runs, supported by Azam Khan, who hit 74 off just 34 balls.
Warner, one of Australia’s most successful cricketers, has played over 350 matches for his country across all formats. He has accumulated more than 18,000 runs, including 49 centuries over a 15-year International career. His last game was in January 2024 during the Third Test against Pakistan at his home ground, the SCG.
In the IPL, Warner holds the record for the most runs by an overseas player, totaling 6,565 runs across 16 seasons. He led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the title in 2016, scoring 848 runs with an average of 60.57 and a strike rate of 151.42.
The Karachi Kings will face Peshawar Zalmi on April 9.