Ishan Kishan to Captain Sunrisers Hyderabad in Early IPL 2026 Matches as Pat Cummins Recovers

Hyderabad. Ishan Kishan will captain Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during the initial phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The franchise has appointed Kishan as interim captain because regular captain Pat Cummins is not fully fit due to a lower back injury.

Cummins, who was also left out of Australia's T20 World Cup squad, is currently undergoing medical treatment. Abhishek Sharma has been given the responsibility of vice-captain for the team.

It is understood that Cummins will only arrive in Hyderabad on March 23 after receiving permission from Cricket Australia. However, it has not been confirmed when he will make his return to the field. According to team management, there is a strong possibility that he will miss the initial few matches.

Cummins has not played any competitive cricket since the third Test of the Ashes series in December. For this season of the IPL, all 10 teams will have Indian captains until Cummins returns, a rare coincidence that will happen only for the second time in IPL history.

Both Kishan and Abhishek played crucial roles in India winning the recently concluded 2026 T20 World Cup. Both scored half-centuries, especially in the final match against New Zealand.

This season looks set to be special for Kishan. Signed for INR 11.25 crore in the 2025 auction, he scored 354 runs, including one century, with excellent performance in his debut season. Kishan, who was the top run-scorer when leading Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in domestic cricket, is currently in excellent form.

This year's IPL is set to begin on March 28 with a match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Despite lacking captaincy experience, Kishan's aggressive batting and recent excellent form are expected to give Hyderabad a good start. Since returning to international cricket, he has scored 532 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 207.