Let Ishan Kishan captain SRH: Pat Cummins’ captaincy takeover blocked in IPL 2026
Table of Contents
Former India batter Aakash Chopra has questioned Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)'s much-anticipated decision to hand the captaincy back to Pat Cummins.
Cummins has not played any matches since he is managing an injury and focusing on his workload management. In the meantime, Indian wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan has taken over the armband for the Orange Army.
Under Kishan's stewardship, Sunrisers Hyderabad are currently fourth on the points table with 4 wins in 7 matches.
Cummins had recently hinted on social media that he would be returning to the Sunrisers side. Apart from returning to the playing XII, Cummins will also be taking over the captaincy as expected. Chopra took to his YouTube channel to question this decision.
"I wish Ishan Kishan had continued captaining" - Aakash Chopra
Chopra expressed his wish that Kishan should continue as captain. He said that there was no need to change something that was working well.
"Hyderabad, Cummins is back. Now there is a big question. Dilshan Madushanka will go out, and Cummins will come in. I wished Ishan had continued captaining. Why should he be removed when everything is going fine? Let him captain, but I don't see that happening. I feel there will be a change there. Cummins will come and captain."
"I hope SRH don't win the toss" - Chopra
Chopra continued his analysis of the match between SRH and Rajasthan Royals on Saturday night. He said that SRH's strength lies in batting first, and that if they do win the toss, they will bowl first and lose.
"I hope he [Cummins] doesn't win the toss because you will bowl if you win the toss, and if you bowl, you will lose the match. It's my assessment that Hyderabad should always bat first. They have lost all seven tosses. Every time they say they wanted to field first, but they got to bat, and have won four matches," he analysed.
"Score 225, you will win eight out of ten matches. You lost a match after scoring 220. That was against Punjab, but other than that, you win whenever you make a decent total. I think this team is doing brilliantly. On paper, it doesn't look like a brilliant bowling unit, but they are doing an excellent job together," he continued.
Ishan Kishan's performance in IPL 2025
SRH's interim skipper has done a commendable job in terms of his captaincy and batting in IPL 2026.
Ishan Kishan was appointed SRH's temporary skipper following his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title win as captain of Jharkhand. So far, he has made 238 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 188.89 and two half-centuries.
Along with captaincy, Ishan Kishan took the wicketkeeping gloves for 4 of the 7 matches and handed over the gloves to Salil Arora for the remaining matches.
SRH next match
Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on third-placed Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, April 25, in Jaipur. This will be the first match at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in IPL 2026.
It remains to be seen how Ishan Kishan transitions to being just a regular player in this SRH side, like he was last year.
About the Author
This author is a member of Cricketaddictor who writes news and analysis related to cricket.
