IPL 2026: Ishan Kishan made SRH captain in the absence of Pat Cummins
Sunrisers Hyderabad have promoted Ishan Kishan to the role of stand-in captain ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League, the franchise announced on Wednesday, March 18. The team confirmed that regular captain Pat Cummins will miss the first few matches of the tournament due to a lower back injury.
While Kishan has been given the captaincy, aggressive opening batsman Abhishek Sharma has been made the vice-captain. Kishan’s promotion comes after a sensational T20 World Cup 2026, where he scored 317 runs at a strike rate of 193. He was a vital presence in the powerplay, even as Abhishek performed poorly for most of the tournament.
Despite 2026 being Kishan’s second season with the team, the top-order batsman has been handed the leadership role. The decision could be taken from his recent captaincy success with Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he led the team to the title last season.
This marks a significant turnaround for Kishan, who had fallen out of favor with the Indian national team at the end of 2022 and was later dropped from the central contract after being out of domestic cricket for a period.
After some time away from the game, Kishan ensured that the break did not hamper his development. The wicketkeeper-batsman developed into a leader to watch, leading Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2025. Kishan scored 517 runs in just 10 matches at a tremendous strike-rate of 197. He was the top scorer of the tournament.
Kishan led from the front in the final against Haryana. Starting the innings, He scored a century in just 49 ballsA brilliant 69-run victory and underlined his value beyond his role behind the stumps.
Kishan’s return to India
After an incredible domestic season, Kishan was brought back into the Indian team. Kishan grabbed the opportunity and was included in India’s playing eleven for the T20 World Cup. After a disappointing start against USA in the first match, Kishan scored two consecutive fifties against Namibia and Pakistan.
His innings against Pakistan was particularly impressive and proved to be the difference between the two sides. Kishan also played a quickfire inning of 54 runs in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand and led India to the highest score in the history of the tournament final.
What happened to Pat Cummins?
captain of sunrisers hyderabad Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first few matches of the Indian Premier League Due to a back injury he suffered during the Ashes 2025-26. The issue has been pending for some time, with the Australian fast bowler being out of action for several months since the middle of last year.
Cummins took part in only one match in the Ashes and took six wickets in Australia’s victory over the England cricket team, before being rested for the remainder of the series. He was also ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026, although SRH say he is expected to be fit in time for the latter stages of the IPL.
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