India opener Ishan Kishan is likely to captain Sunrisers Hyderabad during the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League if regular skipper Pat Cummins is unavailable.
Cummins’ participation in IPL 2026 remains uncertain. The Australian fast bowler has not played much cricket since the 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final against South Africa national cricket team.
After that match, Cummins played three Test matches against the West Indies national cricket team in July 2025. He also featured in only one Test during the The Ashes. Since then, he has not taken part in professional cricket. Because of this, there is still no clear update on whether he will play in the upcoming IPL season.
Ishan Kishan’s strong form makes him top captaincy option
According to reports, Ishan Kishan could be the best option to lead Hyderabad if Cummins misses the tournament. The left-handed batter has been in excellent form in recent months.
The 27-year-old enjoyed a brilliant campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He captained Jharkhand cricket team to their first-ever T20 title. Kishan was also the tournament’s highest run-scorer.
He scored 517 runs at an average of 57.44 and an impressive strike rate of 197.32. The wicketkeeper-batter also hit two centuries in the tournament. One of them came in the final against Haryana cricket team in Pune.
His performances helped him return to India’s T20I squad before the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Kishan finished the tournament as India’s second-highest run-scorer. He also scored 54 runs in the final in Ahmedabad, helping India national cricket team defeat New Zealand national cricket team by 96 runs and retain the title.
Under Cummins, SRH have become one of the most dangerous batting teams in the IPL. Players like Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen give the team huge power in the batting order.
However, SRH finished sixth last season and missed the playoffs despite winning their last three matches.
Kishan had a solid IPL campaign in his first season with Hyderabad. He scored 354 runs and also hit his maiden IPL century. The unbeaten 106 came against Rajasthan Royals on his debut for SRH.
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