IPL 2026: Abhishek Sharma or Ishan Kishan— Who Will Lead Kavya Maran’s Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pat Cummins’ Absence?

India wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan is likely to lead the Surnisers Hyderabad in the initial phase of IPL 2026 while Abhishek Sharma is going to be his deputy, as per a Times of India report. There is no clarity on Pat Cummins yet. The left-handed batter is coming into the IPL on the back of some brilliant performances both in domestic as well as for India. 

While he was a part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup 2026 recently, Ishan also led Jharkhand to Syed Mushtaq Ali title in December last year. There hasn’t been any official confirmation from the franchise. 

Pat Cummins is likely to miss the first few matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming season. Cummins’ last competitive appearance came in the third Ashes Test against England cricket team in Adelaide, which concluded on December 21, 2025.

The Australian fast bowler has been sidelined since then due to an injury that ruled him out of the remaining Ashes matches as well as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Although there were reports suggesting he was recovering, the current status of his injury remains unclear.

In his absence, left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma is likely to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad. If appointed, it will be his first captaincy stint in the Indian Premier League.

SRH will not only miss Cummins’ leadership but, more importantly, his bowling. His absence further weakens an already fragile bowling attack. Potential replacements could include Eshan Malinga of Sri Lanka national cricket team or Australia’s Jack Edwards.

“No Cummins FOR SRH at the start of IPL2026. Big breaking waiting for Abhishek Sharma. Pat Cummins likely to miss the first few matches of IPL 2026. India’s T20 opener Abhishek Sharma set to take up the captaincy in Cummins’ absence,” a report said. 

Abhishek Sharma in IPL

Abhishek has returned to form in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 after he struck a quick-fire fifty for India. The Indian team lifted the cup eventually after beating New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad. Sharma started his IPL journey with Delhi franchise before moving to SRH in 2019. The aggressive left-handed batter has been with the franchise since then. Abhishek Sharma has played 77 matches in the IPL where he has amassed a total of 1816 runs at a strike-rate of 163.01 including a hundred and 9 fifties. 

While this would be his first stint as the skipper in the IPL, he has led his state team Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) which is India’s premier domestic T20 tournament.  

Also Read: ‘IPL 2026 Is an Opportunity For LSG Pacer Mohammed Shami to Return to Team India’: Former India Opener