Cummins' injury changed SRH's game plan… Captaincy in the hands of Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma got big responsibility

New Delhi. Before the upcoming season of IPL, there is good news for wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan and explosive opener Abhishek Sharma. Ishan Kishan will captain Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first few matches of IPL 2026. He is replacing Pat Cummins, who has not yet fully recovered from the back injury. During this time, Abhishek Sharma will play the role of vice-captain.

Sources close to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have told Cricbuzz that this arrangement is only temporary and regular captain Pat Cummins will take over the responsibility of captaincy once he is fully fit. An official announcement is expected soon. It is not yet clear how many matches Cummins will miss, but it is understood that the Australian captain will reach the SRH camp on March 23. He is expected to undergo rehabilitation with the franchise in India and as the website reported yesterday, he will miss the first three matches of the season.

SRH will start their IPL campaign against defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 28 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Their second match will also be away, which will be against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2. After this, they will return to their home ground against Lucknow Super Giants on 5th April.

32-year-old Cummins has been out of cricket since December. When he took part in the only Ashes Test played in Adelaide. Due to an old back injury, he remained out of the field before and after that match. He also did not participate in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. Sunrisers Hyderabad sources have told Cricbuzz that they have received permission from Cricket Australia to play under the IPL contract. However, it may take some time for him to return to the field.

Cummins has played 30 matches while captaining SRH, out of which he has won 15 and lost 14. Whereas one match did not yield any result. In 2024, he led the team to the finals, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. Last season, SRH finished sixth, with six wins and seven losses.

Sources have said that the SRH management was always clear that Ishaan would captain the team in the absence of Cummins, although there was a lot of speculation about the interim captaincy. Both Ishan and Abhishek played important roles in India's success in the recently held T20 World Cup, but being senior, 27-year-old Ishan has been given a chance. He has played 119 IPL matches, while 25-year-old Abhishek has played 77 matches.