IPL 2026: 'Fulfilled captaincy duties': Ishan Kishan's grandfather on his 91

Ishan Kishan's grandfather, Anurag Pandey, expressed delight with his 91-run knock as SRH's stand-in captain against RR. He praised his captaincy, wished he'd scored a century, and also lauded the performance of Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge.

'Fulfilled captaincy duties': Grandfather praises Kishan's knock

Indian cricketer and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) stand-in captain Ishan Kishan's grandfather, Anurag Pandey, expressed happiness after the left-hand batter shone with a 44-ball 91 runs innings against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Monday.

Ishan Kishan's aggressive batting against RR helped the team post a big total of 216/6 in 20 overs, and eventually win the contest by 57 runs. With SRH batting first, Ishan Kishan had to come in right away as opener Abhishek Sharma lost his wicket on the very first ball of the match. Kishan slammed a handsome 91 off just 44 balls, hitting eight boundaries and six maximums, helping SRH reach the score of 216/6.

Speaking to ANI, Anurag Pandey praised Ishan Kishan's 91-run knock, saying he was happy with his performance and that he missed a century by just nine runs. He also expressed hope that Kishan continues to perform well as captain. "It felt good. I am happy. Ishan fulfilled his captaincy duties with the 91-run knock. He missed his century by just 9 runs. I wish he continues to perform like this and captain the team like this. SRH did well to defeat the Rajasthan Royals, who had not yet lost a match in the IPL 2026," Anurag Pandey said.

Debutants earn special praise

Ishan Kishan's grandfather also lauded the two debutants SRH played against RR-Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge. The uncapped pair, Sakib and Praful, combined to take eight wickets, with both bowlers claiming four-wicket hauls each as they tore through the RR batting lineup. "But what made me even happier was the performances by Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge," Anurag Pandey said.

Praful Hinge's dream debut

The 24-year-old Hinge took four wickets and was named Player of the Match in his debut IPL game. He got the wickets of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius in his very first over. He also dismissed the RR skipper Riyan Parag in his next over and eventually finished his spell with bowling figures of 34/4.

Sakib Hussain shines with the ball

Sakib Hussain, on the other hand, got the big wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal in his first over. He went on to dismiss Donovan Ferreira, Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi to finish his spell with bowling figures of 24/4.

SRH in the points table

SRH currently stand at fourth place in the points table with two wins in five matches, and will face Chennai Super Kings in their next game on Saturday at their home venue. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)