Ishan Kishan Named SRH Interim Captain for IPL 2026 as Pat Cummins Remains Unavailable

Sunrisers Hyderabad will appoint Ishan Kishan as interim captain for the Indian Premier League 2026 season. The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter impressed many with his performances in the T20 World Cup 2026. SRH chose him as captain instead of Abhishek Sharma to replace regular skipper Pat Cummins. Reports had suggested that Abhishek was in the running to take over Cummins, who isn’t confirmed to feature in the IPL 2026 season.

Ishan Kishan to lead SRH as Pat Cummins remains unavailable

Pat Cummins has been dealing with a lower back (lumbar stress) injury since July 2025. The Australian fast bowler played one match in the The Ashes in December but has not played any cricket since then. He missed the T20 World Cup 2026 and hasn’t been cleared by Cricket Australia (CA) to return to cricket just yet.

Since it is still unclear when Pat Cummins will join Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 2016 Indian Premier League champions held discussions and decided that Ishan Kishan is the best option to lead the team. 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, Ishan Kishan led his team to their first-ever title in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. After this success, he was selected for the T20 World Cup 2026. 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.