Ishan Kishan to Lead SRH in Pat Cummins’ Absence for IPL 2026 Start

Sunrisers Hyderabad have handed Ishan Kishan the captaincy for the start of IPL 2026, as regular skipper Pat Cummins continues to recover from a back injury.

The franchise confirmed that Cummins will miss the initial matches, forcing a short-term leadership change ahead of the new season.

Abhishek Sharma has been named vice-captain and will support Kishan during this phase. Both players are coming in with strong recent form.

“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,” SRH said in a statement.

Cummins’ injury has been a concern for some time. It ruled him out of the 2026 T20 World Cup and also affected his participation in parts of the 2025–26 Ashes.

Kishan’s appointment comes as a reward for his consistent performances. He has scored 2,998 runs in 119 IPL matches, with an average of 29.10 and a strike rate of 137.64.

He also enjoyed a solid IPL 2025 season with SRH, scoring 354 runs at a strike rate of 152.58 after being picked up for Rs 11.25 crore.

His recent form for India further strengthens the decision. Kishan was the team’s second-highest run-scorer in the latest T20 World Cup, making 317 runs in nine innings at a strike rate above 193.

Abhishek Sharma, who will serve as deputy, has also been one of SRH’s most reliable performers with the bat in recent seasons.

SRH will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

All eyes will now be on how Kishan handles the leadership role as SRH aim for a strong start before Cummins returns.