Cummins has been nursing his back for a while and only played one of these Test matches in Australia’s recent home season—the third Test against England, in Adelaide, where he excelled with six wickets to help secure the Ashes.
Both Kishan and Abhishek will carry into IPL 2026 the momentum of being part of India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign. This is significant for both as neither have captained an IPL side before and will be seen by all as a huge opportunity to showcase their leadership credentials.
Kishan, signed by SRH for INR 11.25 crore before the IPL 2025 auction, enjoyed a good first season with the franchise. He hit 354 runs at a strike rate of 152.58, notably scoring an unbeaten century in his first match and a crucial 94* later in the tournament. His form long since improved, recency trailing behind — illustrated by a dazzling return to India’s T20I roster.
Kishan also top-scored in the tournament while leading the Jharkhand cricket team to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy success. Since his international return earlier this year, he has scored 532 runs in 13 T20Is at an average of 40.92 and a devastating strike rate of 207.00 — he hit three half-centuries through the World Cup.
Both Kishan and Abhishek contributed richly, scoring fifties each in the final against New Zealand national cricket team in Ahmedabad as India lifted the trophy.
This season is unique in that all ten IPL teams are expected to start with Indian skippers at the helm — for however long Cummins fulfils his duties. In fact, the last time this happened was in 2019 when an overseas skipper was temporarily subbed for after being injured at a game — such has been the nature of such very changing events.
Kishan comes off the season in fine touch. He was one of the key players in India’s T20 World Cup winning side this year, scoring runs consistently at the top. His recent domestic success, leading Jharkhand to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy among others, further boosts his leadership credentials.
With well over 500 runs in T20 internationals to his name this year, and at an outstanding strike rate, Kishan’s attacking batting style combined with his unshakeable confidence would likely help SRH navigate their opening courts comfortably. With Abhishek Sharma to complement him and Cummins likely coming back later, Sunrisers Hyderabad would like to get off to a good start in their IPL 2026 campaign.
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