In most professions, if you are 26, you have the best years of your life ahead of you. That isn’t exactly true in cricket, especially in India. Irfan Pathan, someone who represented the national team 173 times, had played his last international before he turned 28.
Ishan Kishan facing tough competition in Tests & ODIs
While it may seem premature, Ishan Kishan might be at a similar juncture. Not too long ago, he was part of the India cricket team’s squad for all three formats. Now, it doesn’t even make it to the ‘A’ side. Some may have forgotten, but he was part of India’s 2023 ODI World Cup team.
16 months later, people have forgotten about him. From someone who was supposed to replace Rohit Sharma in T20Is, he has been left behind in the dust by players much younger than him. That is why the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 might be a make or break for him.
With Rishabh Pant present, one might as well forget that Kishan exists in Test cricket. Dhruv Jurel isn’t far behind Pant either in the pecking order. Now let’s come to white-ball cricket. Now that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aren’t retiring either, there isn’t exactly a chance he gets into the team either.
One mustn’t forget that Yashasvi Jaiswal hasn’t even been able to play an ODI yet. And given how things are in world cricket, 50-over games might decrease with each passing year. Kishan’s best bet might just be T20Is, and right now, cracking them might not be that easy either.
Can Kishan wrestle past Sanju Samson & Rishabh Pant?
But one mustn’t forget that unlike Kohli and Rohit, the players in the current T20I setup can be dropped. Barring Suryakumar Yadav, no once has an long proven track record. Also, IPL 2025 will be the biggest tournament played before the 2026 T20 World Cup.
If someone like Kishan performs in the tournament for his new IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he might pip top-order wicketkeeper batters like Sanju Samson or Pant.
Samson hasn’t always been selectors favourite. He’s currently injured at the moment but his performance has been top notch in the last 12 months. Mind you, he’s got 3 T20I centuries in the space of 5 matches. Pant has struggled in the shortest format but he was part of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
However, Kishan will have his own challenges. His record hasn’t been that great in the IPL. To replace someone like Samson or Pant, a normal season won’t do. You have do something extra ordinary. You can’t average under 30 and strike at 140. Samson for example, averaged 43.60 with a 180.16 strike rate in 2024. You need to knock the door down and show the selectors, I have still got it in me.
One thing that might go in Kishan’s favour is that Team India doesn’t have wicketkeepers to bat in the middle or lower middle order. That means you have to pick a keeper who bats up top. Since Shubman Gill is the T20I vice-captain, you probably won’t drop him.
We know head coach Gautam Gambhir likes left-right combination. Pant doesn’t open and Samson is a righty like Gill. That gives Kishan an edge. If he can bat at three, showing flexibility, for SRH in the IPL 2025, the southpaw might get back to the Indian team.
However, if Kishan isn’t there now, he may never be in the future. Apart from those who are already ahead of him, many more will emerge, and he’ll continue to move down the pecking order.
Ishan Kishan IPL stats, by season
| Season | Team | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Mumbai Indians | 14 | 320 | 22.85 | 148.83 | 1 | 69 |
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians | 15 | 454 | 30.26 | 142.76 | 3 | 75 |
| 2022 | Mumbai Indians | 14 | 418 | 32.15 | 120.11 | 3 | 81* |
| 2021 | Mumbai Indians | 10 | 241 | 26.77 | 133.88 | 2 | 84 |
| 2020 | Mumbai Indians | 13 | 516 | 57.33 | 145.76 | 4 | 99 |
| 2019 | Mumbai Indians | 6 | 101 | 16.83 | 101.00 | 0 | 28 |
| 2018 | Mumbai Indians | 12 | 275 | 22.91 | 149.45 | 2 | 62 |
| 2017 | Gujarat Lions | 10 | 277 | 27.70 | 134.46 | 1 | 61 |
| 2016 | Gujarat Lions | 5 | 42 | 8.40 | 102.43 | 0 | 27 |
| Total | 2 teams | 99 | 2644 | 28.43 | 135.86 | 16 | 99 |
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