Ishan Kishan back in the BCCI fold, but will he make it to India's squad?

Ishan Kishan's return to the BCCI central contract list raises questions about his chances of making comeback to Team India, given that he last played for national side in November 2023.

Ishan Kishan's India comeback chances

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has finally returned to the BCCI fold after regaining his central contract. In January 2024, Ishan was removed from the BCCI’s central contract list for players for not adhering to the board’s direction to play domestic cricket, especially Ranji Trophy. Despite strict warning from the board, Ishan Kishan showed his reluctance to play domestic matches and rather directly played IPL.

A year later, considering his participation in domestic cricket, the BCCI decided to put him back in the central contract list of players. The 26-year-old played his last match for Team India in a T20I against Australia in November 2024. In 2024, he withdrew from South Africa due to mental fatigue and returned home. Since then, he has remained out of the national setup, missing out on T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025.

However, the question is whether Ishan Kishan will make it to the India squad despite returning to the BCCI fold. Here are 5 factors that have been taken into account in order to determine Ishan Kishan’s chance of making Team India comeback.

1. Wicketkeeping options

After Ishan Kishan played his last match for India in 2023, Team India management experimented with various wicketkeepers across formats, including Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Jitesh Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, and Rishabh Pant, depending on the format and team balance. Samson and Jitesh are in the scheme of things for India T20IS, while Rahul and Rishabh are being considered primary options in Tests and ODIS, with Dhruv emerging as a promising red-ball backup option. Though Ishan Kishan is back in the BCCI fold after regaining a central contract, he finds himself on the margins of the selection, needing to redefine his role, and come up with an impactful performance to be a mix of wicketkeeping options.

2. Tough competition in the squad

Over the last couple of years, several promising talents, through their performances in the IPL, have given a big headache to the BCCI selectors and Team India management to accommodate deserving candidates in the balanced squad. The likes of Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and others have been consistently performing well with their aggressive intent, while some of them have almost cemented their place in the team. Ishan Kishan has been away from international cricket for almost two years and in that time, the rise of these dynamic young batters has not only shifted the core of the team, but has also raised the bar for the selection, meaning that the SRH batter needs to punch above his weight by proving his form and intent all over again to reclaim his spot.

3. No international outings for over a year

Shreyas Iyer has regained his central contract after making a comeback to Team India earlier this year for the ODI series against England and Champions Trophy 2025. However, the same is not the case with Ishan Kishan as he did not have any international outing for over a year, making it difficult for him to assert a place in the squad. Without recent exposure at the highest level and emergence of strong contenders in white-ball format, Ishan faces a tough challenge to break into the squad or playing XI, with the team already having settled players for key options. The left-handed batter did not headline enough in the recently concluded domestic season, which could further dampen his chances of making his return to international fold.

4. Pressure to adapt to evolving team needs

Team India management has been experimenting with various players in the squad who could adapt to different roles, especially in the fast-paced format like T20Is. With the team focusing on flexibility, players who have the ability to contribute in multiple areas, especially playing at different batting positions or even as part-time bowlers, are being considered for the selection in recent times. Ishan Kishan will have to prove his adaptability, not just in wicketkeeping but also different roles that team requires him to play, whether it be powerplay enforcer, anchoring the innings in the middle-order, or part-time bowler, in order to be relevant in the setup.

5. IPL 2025 performance a make-or-break opportunity

Ishan Kishan’s chances of making a comeback into Team India largely hinges on his performance in IPL 2025, where he is plying his trade for Sunrisers Hyderabad. After scoring a century in his debut for SRH against Rajasthan Royals, Ishan has struggled to maintain consistency as his scores read 2, 2, 17, 9, and 2. In seven matches, Ishan has aggregated 138 runs, including a century, at an average of 27.60. Since Ishan Kishan has regained his central contract a year after being dropped from the list, it is a best opportunity for him to come up with strong showing in the upcoming matches to reignite his place in the selectors’ minds.