Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have officially decided the explosive wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan to lead the team in IPL 2026. This move is because the regular skipper Pat Cummins is still recuperating from the back injury that has kept him away from playing cricket since late 2025. The team has given the 27-year-old left-hander the leadership responsibility with the season kickoff against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Abhishek Sharma, who is the number-one T20I batter, has been made the vice-captain, thus creating a young and energetic leadership combination for the 2016 title holders.
𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 🚨
Pat Cummins will miss a few games while recovering from injury.
Until he recovers, Ishan Kishan will be the Captain and Abhishek Sharma will be the Vice-Captain. pic.twitter.com/etXJUkQJeG
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 18, 2026
Why Ishan Kishan Has Been Made SRH Captain?
The decision to pick Ishan Kishan instead of other senior players was a kind of “tactical” decision by head coach Daniel Vettori and the SRH management. Firstly, Kishan is coming off a big run at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, at which he was India’s second-highest run scorer with 317 runs. His composure under pressure was so good that it was clear in the final that he is very likely to be given more leadership responsibilities.
Secondly, his recent domestic success turned out to be a major factor. In December 2025, Kishan’s leadership took Jharkhand to their very first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which was a great achievement as a captain and led to a trophy.
The management also felt that since he is a wicketkeeper, Kishan is in the best position to see the game and help the bowlers by suggesting field placements. Even though Abhishek Sharma was a great candidate, the team decided to go with Kishan’s well-established leadership skills in the domestic scene to lead the team during Cummins’ absence.
What is up For Sunrisers Hyderabad and Full Squad for IPL 2026
Ishan Kishan (Captain/WK), Abhishek Sharma (Vice-Captain), Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingstone, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniket Verma, R Smaran, Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari, Shivang Kumar, Salil Arora, Krains Fuletra, Praful Hinge, Amit Kumar, Onkar Tarmale, Sakib Hussain, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, T. Natarajan, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi.
