Sunrisers Hyderabad told to retain Ishan Kishan as captain in IPL 2026 even if Pat Cummins return; here's why

Former India cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Sanjay Bangar have urged the Sunrisers Hyderabad management to retain Ishan Kishan as the captain of the franchise in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) even if Pat Cummins return mid-season. Cummins, who led Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past two seasons, was down with a lower back injury, that forced the Australian to miss the T20 World Cup 2026.

Not just the World Cup, Cummins is yet to play a single match in IPL 2026 so far. Although he had joined the franchise from day one, Cummins returned to Sydney and was cleared by Cricket Australia following a few tests. In Cummins' absence, the franchise announced Kishan as the captain of the side until the Australian returns to action.

“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,” the franchise announced on March 18 on social media. Barng a couple of roadblocks, Kishan has been brilliant with his leadership skills, something that has impressed Harbhajan and Bangar.

“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," Bangar said on JioHotstar.

“He doesn’t look clustered, is not hurried, and is taking the right calls on the field. The way he used his spinners against DC was impressive. All in all, I believe that even if Pat Cummins comes back, Ishan Kishan should continue captaining SRH,” added the former India batting coach under Ravi Shastri.

Bangar, who is currently a part of the commentating panel of IPL 2026, also explained what Kishan brings as a leader to Sunrisers Hyderabad table. "Having an Indian Captain brings consistency. You cannot be sure about how fit a bowler of Pat Cummins’ caliber will stay throughout the rest of IPL 2026, considering the niggles he’s been dealing with. Ishan continuing with the leadership duties gives a lot of continuity to the players. That would be the way to go for Hyderabad,” he added.

According to Harbhajan, the bowlers have a good coordination with Kishan. “Ishan Kishan should continue as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain even if Pat Cummins returns. It is a debatable call, but if the team has backed a young leader, they should stick with him,” Harbhajan said on JioStar.

"Cummins helped Hyderabad reach the final in 2024, no doubt. But the side is doing well under Kishan's leadership. The bowlers and other players have built good coordination with him. Keeping Ishan as captain will benefit Sunrisers Hyderabad," added the former India spinner.

Meanwhile, under Kishan, Sunrisers Hyderabad started with a loss to defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru before they won against KKR. They again lost to Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings before winning three on the bounce - against Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi capitals.