IPL 2026: Why Did SRH Appoint Ishan Kishan as an Interim Captain? Head Coach Daniel Vettori Explains

With regular skipper Pat Cummins recovering from an injury, Sunrisers Hyderabad has appointed Ishan Kishan as the interim captain for the initial phase of IPL 2026. Head coach Daniel Vettori backed the decision, highlighting Kishan's past leadership success and his integration into the team's leadership group since the previous season.

With a regular skipper, Pat Cummins, set to miss the opening phase of the IPL 2026 due to recovery from a back injury, Sunrisers Hyderabad turned to Ishan Kishan for captaincy for the first few matches, starting with the season opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 28.

Ishan Kishan’s captaincy appointment on the back of his impressive showing in Team India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign in March this year, and was the Men in Blue’s second-highest run-getter of the tournament with 317 runs, including three fifties, at an average of 35.22 and a strike rate of 193.92 in nine matches.

For the first time in his IPL career, Ishan Kishan has been handed captaincy duties, reflecting the team management’s trust in his leadership potential and recent form. The southpaw will have Abhishek Sharma as his deputy for the opening phase of the IPL 2026, providing additional support in leadership during the interim period.

Daniel Vettori on Ishan Kishan’s Captaincy Appointment

On the eve of the season opener against the defending champions, RCB, SRH head coach Daniel Vettori explained the reason behind the team management’s decision to hand over the captaincy duties to Ishan Kishan for an interim period in the absence of Pat Cummins.

Speaking at the press conference, Vettori emphasized Ishan’s past leadership success, especially leading Jharkhand to the maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, while also highlighting his strong understanding with Abhishek Sharma, stating that their chemistry and familiarity with the squad will be key in leading the team effectively.

“I think Ishan's been around in the IPL for a long period of time now. He's been with a number of teams, and he's been highly successful, so he brings in his own confidence around that," the former New Zealand captain said.

“The fact that he's led the U19s and his state team and they won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year brings a confident person, a confident player, and a really confident leader, and those are the attributes that we really looked at when he was appointed.

“His combination with Abhishek, they're good friends, they know the team exceptionally well, and I really feel like those two will lead from the front this season," he added.

Ishan Kishan’s captaincy credentials in T20 cricket have been quite impressive, winning 24 matches out of 29 outings. His major success as a captain was when he led Jharkhand to their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title, while contributing significantly with the bat, scoring 517 runs, including two centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 57.44 in 10 matches.

Ishan Kishan Part of SRH Leadership Group Since IPL 2025

Further speaking on Ishan Kishan’s appointment as SRH captain, SRH coach Daniel Vettori revealed that the southpaw was added to the leadership group in the last IPL season, adding that his presence brought energy, maturity, and a strong voice in the squad, making him a natural choice to lead the side in Pat Cummins’ absence.

“I think he started last year where he was added a senior player to the group and the leadership that he exuded throughout that first season, particularly in the back half when he took over the wicketkeeping, it really brought energy to the group and set up our back half of the year, and we were pretty successful in that period,” Vettori said.

“So when Pat (Cummins) was unfortunately out of the initial stage of the tournament, we had some decisions to make, and his (Kishan's) experience with his state team in particular had been so impressive, and then he was in really good form. So, between Abhishek and himself, we feel like we've got a really good leadership group to lead us this year," he added.

Ishan Kishan was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 11.25 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction after he was released by the Mumbai Indians. The southpaw had a mixed season last year, 354 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 35.40 and a strike rate of 152.58 in 14 matches.

The IPL 2026 will serve as a crucial opportunity for Ishan Kishan as he will look to prove his leadership credentials at the highest level and guide Sunrisers Hyderabad successfully in the absence of Pat Cummins while also delivering consistent performances with the bat.