Pat Cummins’ forced absence from IPL 2026 has come as a boon for Ishan Kishan.
The young wicketkeeper-batter led Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali title last season and has been impressive with his batting and captaincy for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this edition of the IPL. They have four wins from seven matches and are placed among the top four.
While Cummins has since joined the team and has been cleared to bowl, the Australian pacer is yet to play his first match. However, there is talk that Ishan should continue leading the side in the rest of the tournament.
“Ishan Kishan as a leader is tactically very good in terms of how he uses his bowlers. He understands which bowlers to use against which batters. It is a clear marker of how well he controls the game. He doesn’t look clustered, is not hurried, and is taking the right calls on the field,” Sanjay Bangar, a former India batting coach, said on Star Sports.
“The way he used his spinners against DC was impressive. All in all, I believe that even if Pat Cummins comes back, Ishan should continue captaining SRH. More often than not, having an Indian captain brings consistency. You cannot be sure about
how fit a bowler of Pat Cummins’ calibre will stay throughout the rest of IPL, considering the niggles he’s been dealing with.”
While the final call rests with the Sunrisers’ management, Bangar believes it would be in their best interests to maintain continuity and have Ishan to continue lead the side.
“Ishan continuing with the leadership duties gives a lot of continuity to the players. That would be the way to go.”