Pat Cummins Injury: Ishan Kishan to Lead Sunrisers Hyderabad

Ishan Kishan is set to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as interim captain in the absence of Pat Cummins, who is recovering from a back injury. Abhishek Sharma will serve as vice-captain. Kishan's appointment comes after a successful stint leading Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title and a strong performance in the T20 World Cup, where he scored 317 runs at a strike rate of 193. This marks a significant opportunity for Kishan, who has proven his leadership skills in domestic cricket, with a win percentage of 79.31% in T20 matches. SRH will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28. IPL 2026 is shaping up to be historic, with all ten teams starting with Indian captains, at least initially. Ishan Kishan is stepping in as Sunrisers Hyderabad's interim captain while Pat Cummins recovers from a back injury. This marks a rare moment in IPL history, with the last time being in 2019 when SRH had an overseas captain, Kane Williamson, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar stood in for their first match. Cummins has been battling a lumbar stress issue in his back for some time now, and the injury restricted him to just one match in Australia's home season: the third Test against England in mid-December in Adelaide, where he took six wickets in 34 overs across two innings to help Australia go 3-0 up and retain the Ashes. Both Kishan and Abhishek played key roles in India's victory at the 2026 T20 World Cup. Neither has led an IPL team before. Cummins, who's been sidelined since the Ashes, is expected to miss at least the first few matches. Abhishek Sharma will serve as Kishan's deputy, and the team will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their opening match on March 28.