Ishan Kishan is reportedly set to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2026. This comes amidst uncertainty over Pat Cummins’ fitness, with the Australian captain being out of action with a back injury. Kishan would enter IPL 2026 on the back of a sensational T20 World Cup campaign where he finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer in the tournament, with 317 runs in nine games. The left-hander hit three half-centuries, one of which was a 77-run knock against Pakistan in the group stage. Ishan Kishan to lead SRH in Pat Cummins’ absence According to a Times of India report, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter would captain the Sunrisers in the absence of Cummins. The report also adds that the Sunrisers management discussed the leadership role with Kishan. However, captaincy is not anything new to Kishan. The explosive batter led Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year and even topped the run-scoring charts, with 517 runs in 10 innings. Kishan, who played for the Mumbai Indians in the past, was acquired by SRH in 2024 and last season, he scored 354 runs for the 2016 IPL champions in 14 matches. He also scored a scintillating century, an unbeaten 106*which came against Rajasthan Royals. Cummins’ absence would indeed be a big blow not just in terms of his bowling but also his captaincy. But on the other hand, Sunrisers boast one of the most explosive top orders in the IPL, featuring Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. Also read: ‘Fees paid to a Pakistani player contribute to Indian deaths’: Sunil Gavaskar slams Sunrisers Leeds’ signing of Abrar Ahmed Sunrisers Hyderabad to face defending champions RCB in opener Sunrisers Hyderabad will start their IPL 2026 campaign with a showdown against the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the very first match of the tournament on 28 March. The clash would be a repeat of the 2016 final, where SRH had outclassed RCB to win the trophy, their only title so far. And interestingly, the venue for that final was the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the same ground where these two sides will add another chapter to their rivalry and kick off a two-month-long cricketing carnival in India. Post navigation Kerala governor felicitates Sanju Samson, gifts him Sachin’s autobiography:Tilak Varma honoured by Telangana CM after T20 WC heroics Afghanistan cricketers lash out at Pak after Kabul airstrike:Rashid calls it ‘war crime’, Naveen Ul Haq says, ‘No difference between Israel and Pakistan’
