Ishan Kishan looked in sublime touch with the bat on his captaincy debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. The wicketkeeper-batter stepped up when his side was in trouble, losing three early wickets inside the powerplay after an incredible spell from RCB’s Jacob Duffy in the season opener at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Holding one end firmly, Kishan focused on rebuilding the innings alongside Heinrich Klaasen, guiding SRH out of a difficult phase. The duo shared a 97-run stand for the fourth wicket to pull things back on track. The SRH skipper scored 80 runs off 38 balls, which was laced with eight fours and five sixes.
Kishan kept things simple, rotating strike well and finding the boundary at regular intervals to keep the run rate in check. There was a sense of control in his approach as he mixed caution with timely aggression. Kishan brought up his half-century in 27 balls, reaching the milestone with a crisp boundary in the 12th over. He then shifted gears slightly, adding two more boundaries in the same over against Suyash Sharma to apply pressure and push SRH forward.
He shifted gears once RCB turned to spin, taking on Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya with ease. Neither bowler managed to find a way past him, and Kishan made full use of the conditions. The shorter boundaries at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium worked in his favour, allowing him to clear the ropes with confidence and keep the pressure on the bowlers.
It took a stunning effort from Phil Salt to bring an end to his knock on 80. The RCB star showed superb athleticism, pulling off a sensational catch near the boundary rope to send the SRH skipper back to the pavilion. In the process, he had already set the record for the highest score by an SRH player on captaincy debut.
50-plus scores on IPL captaincy debut for SRH
80 (38) – Ishan Kishan vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2026*
69* (41) – Manish Pandey vs MI, Abu Dhabi, 2021
53 (42) – David Warner vs CSK, Chennai, 2015
The wicketkeeper-batter has been riding a strong run of form, having played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph. With Pat Cummins unavailable, he was handed the captaincy at SRH, and he has carried that momentum into the IPL, continuing to make an impact at the top.
Earlier, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to bowl first as they begin their title defence at home. Leading SRH for the first time, Kishan kept his pre-match remarks simple, stressing the need to stick to basics while also acknowledging Pat Cummins’ absence and backing his teammates to rise to the occasion.
“Feeling good because it’s our first game. We would have bowled first after winning the toss, but it looks like a fresh wicket. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether you’re batting first or bowling first, you just need to back your instincts. That will be the plan. Just trying to keep things simple. You don’t have to start doing something new just because it’s the IPL. The plans are clear with all the players, and we’ll just look to execute them well. Pat (Cummins) is one of the best bowlers in the team and in the IPL as well. Missing him makes a big difference,” Kishan said at the toss.
