Ishan Kishan was appointed stand-in skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad team ahead of IPL 2026 season due to back injury to Pat Cummins.
Published: April 22, 2026 5:25 PM IST
Ishan Kishan had been pushed into the envious task of leading Kavya Maran’s Sunrisers Hyderabad team ahead of the IPL 2026 due to the absence of their regular skipper Pat Cummins. The Australian pacer and captain was retained for Rs 18 crore by SRH but has not been able to play in the first six matches of the season as he continues to recover from a back injury which forced him to miss the T20 World Cup 2026 as well.
Kishan has done well with the bat and led the side with aplomb as well, including his side’s 47-run win over Delhi Capitals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday. SRH have risen to third place with 8 points from 6 matches, leap-frogging over Rajasthan Royals.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes that Kishan should continue to lead the side even when Cummins is fit to rejoin the squad. Cummins has been given the ‘green signal’ by Cricket Australia to play in the IPL 2026 season and has already joined the team in Hyderabad last week with his family.
Speaking on Star Sports show ‘Amul Cricket Live’, JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar heaped praise on Ishan Kishan’s captaincy. “Ishan Kishan as a leader is tactically very good in terms of how he uses his bowlers. He understands which bowlers to use against which batters. It is a clear marker of how well he controls the game. He doesn’t look clustered, is not hurried, and is taking the right calls on the field. The way he used his spinners against DC was impressive,” Bangar said.
“All in all, I believe that even if Pat Cummins comes back, Ishan Kishan should continue captaining SRH. More often than not, having an Indian Captain brings consistency. You cannot be sure about how fit a bowler of Pat Cummins’ caliber will stay throughout the rest of IPL 2026, considering the niggles he’s been dealing with. Ishan continuing with the leadership duties gives a lot of continuity to the players. That would be the way to go for Hyderabad,” former India batting coach said.
The #SRH skipper wants a piece of the action too
Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma are keeping the momentum firmly at the top!
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Kishan has scored 238 runs in 7 matches in the IPL 2026 season with a strike-rate of 188.88 with 2 fifties so far. Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live’, SRH stand-in skipper elaborated on his mindset.
“At this level, skill sets are quite similar. The real difference comes from mindset. For me, it was about improving how I reset between games, whether after a good performance or a bad one. Staying focused, hungry, and mentally present is key. You can’t carry the fear of failure, if that thought comes in, you have to overcome it and stay positive. Over time, that awareness grows, and you start understanding your game better. It’s about learning from your experiences but making sure you don’t repeat the same mistakes,” Kishan said.
On backing young bowlers like Sakib Hussain, Kishan said, “My relationship with the bowlers is about keeping things simple and positive. With someone like Sakib Hussain, there’s a natural understanding, and I’ve told him to stay relaxed. This is T20 cricket, everyone gets hit. What matters is how you come back. Even if an over doesn’t go well, it’s important to reset, stay calm, and focus on the next opportunity. If you can pull things back later in the game, that’s what makes the difference. There’s no point putting extra pressure on yourself, just trust your plans and execute them.”
