Sunrisers Hyderabad will face defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening match of IPL 2026 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 28. During the match, stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan is set to achieve milestones for the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise.
The wicketkeeper batter will lead Sunrisers Hyderabad, as regular captain Pat Cummins is currently recovering from a lumbar stress back injury. After a disappointing sixth-place finish in the IPL 2025 season, the Hyderabad-based franchise will be hoping to start the upcoming tournament on a positive note.
Ishan Kishan Set To Become Youngest Indian Captain For Sunrisers Hyderabad
At 27 years and 253 days old, Ishan Kishan is set to achieve a major milestone. He will become the youngest Indian captain in the history of the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise.
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He will surpass former Indian captains like Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Overall, Ishan Kishan will be the second-youngest captain to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
New Zealand star Kane Williamson holds the franchise record, having captained Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 season at 27 years and 244 days old.
Ishan Kishan Brings In His Own Confidence Around That – Daniel Vettori
Earlier on Friday, Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori expressed confidence in appointing Ishan Kishan as the interim captain. Vettori stated that Ishan brings leadership experience to guide the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad during Pat Cummins’ absence.
“I think Ishan’s been around in the IPL for a long period of time now. He’s been with a number of teams and he’s been highly successful, so, he brings in his own confidence around that.”
“The fact that he’s led the U19s and his state team and they won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year brings a confident person, a confident player and a really confident leader and those are the attributes that we really looked at when he was appointed.”
“His combination with Abhishek, they’re good friends, they know the team exceptionally well and I really feel like those two will lead from the front this season.”
Ishan Kishan’s Strong Form And Leadership Ahead Of IPL 2026
The Sunrisers Hyderabad interim captain recently lifted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 title with India. During that campaign, Ishan finished as the fourth-highest run-getter, scoring 317 runs in nine innings at an average of 35.22 and an impressive strike rate of 193.29.
Before IPL 2026, Ishan scored 103 runs in Thiruvananthapuram in the final match against New Zealand. Notably, he also captained Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2025-26, winning ten out of eleven matches, with their only loss coming against Andhra Pradesh.
Sunrisers Hyderabad retained Ishan ahead of the mini auction last year. During IPL 2025, the left-handed batter scored 354 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 152.58, including one century and one half-century.
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