The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will name Ishan Kishan as captain on an interim basis for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The 27-year-old, who lit the T20 World Cup 2026 on fire, has been picked over Abhishek Sharma to replace Pat Cummins as skipper.
Ishan Kishan, new SRH captain
Reports had suggested that Abhishek was in the running to take over Cummins, who isn’t confirmed to feature in the IPL 2026 season. The Australian fast bowler has been dealing with a lumbar stress back injury since July 2025. Cummins featured in one Ashes match in December but hasn’t played since.
He missed the T20 World Cup 2026 and hasn’t been cleared by Cricket Australia (CA) to return to cricket just yet. According to the Times of India, since it’s uncertain if and when Cummins will link up with SRH, the 2016 IPL champions have held discussions and decided Kishan is best suited to take over.
Kishan hasn’t led in the IPL yet, but has plenty of leadership experience. He took India to the 2016 Under-19 ODI World Cup final. Has captained Jharkhand in 79 matches across formats. Recently, he guided them to their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. Off the back of which, he was selected for the T20 World Cup.
Abhishek, too, has experience of captaining domestic cricket, having led Punjab in 31 matches across formats. But unlike Kishan, he doesn’t have a record or track record.
Ishan Kishan T20 captaincy record
| Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Win % |
| 2019-2025 | 29 | 23 | 5 | 1 | 79.31 |
If the report is correct, Kishan will make his IPL captaincy debut on March 28 in the 2026 season opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He’ll also be SRH’s 11th captain and first Indian skipper since Bhuvneshwar Kumar who led them in 2023.
Cricket
Pat Cummins uncertain for IPL 2026, SRH to choose Ishan Kishan over Abhishek Sharma as captain
