Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) stand-in captain Ishan Kishan was involved in a prank with teammate Zeeshan Ansari during a practice match on Saturday. The young leg spinner bid a fond farewell to his captain ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which is scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 28.
The incident occurred during an intra-squad simulation game between SRH A and SRH B as the players competed for rhythm and key starting roles ahead of the tournament opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Bengaluru. These practice sessions provide essential match preparation for the team.
Watch: Zeeshan Ansari gives rousing send-off to Ishan Kishan in intra-squad game
During the eighth over of the second innings, Ishan Kishan made a strong attack on Zeeshan Ansari. The left-handed batsman dominated the young leg spinner, hitting two sixes and two fours in the first four balls.
Ishan Kishan looked completely comfortable at the crease and scored 52 runs in just 20 balls. However, on the fifth ball, Ansari managed to dismiss the captain with a clever full ball.
Kishan failed to get underneath it and slogged the ball straight into the hands of the deep square leg fielder. After taking the crucial wicket, Ansari had a lively celebration.
The 26-year-old bowler pointed towards the pavilion and signaled his captain to go back. Instead of prolonging the moment, Ishaan defused the situation by laughing at the fiery farewell while walking away.
Big contest in SRH practice match!
SRH captain Ishan Kishan scored 20 runs in one over against leg spinner Zeeshan, but Zeeshan dismissed him on the last ball of the over. After taking the wicket, Zeeshan pointed his finger at Ishan Kishan, which led to an argument between the two… pic.twitter.com/W9eLDOVyVB
– Indian Sports Network (@IS_Netwrk29) 21 March 2026
Ishan Kishan will lead SRH in the early stages of IPL 2026
Kishan recently took over the interim leadership duties for Sunrisers Hyderabad, with Abhishek Sharma serving as vice-captain. He will replace regular captain Pat Cummins, who will miss the opening matches as he recovers from a lower back stress injury.
The Australian fast bowler had earlier missed several key international appointments, including the recent Ashes series and the T20 World Cup 2026.
The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman brings valuable leadership experience to the role. Recently, he captained his home team Jharkhand to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the first time. His performance also helped him make a comeback into the Indian team after a two-year absence from international cricket.
Ishan Kishan enters IPL 2026 in red-hot form after impressive T20 performance
Kishan entered the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 in great form. Recently during the T20 World Cup 2026, he finished as the second-highest run-scorer for India and fourth-highest run-scorer overall.
The left-handed batsman scored 317 runs in nine matches at an average of 35.22 and a strike rate of 193.29. He scored three half-centuries, including an innings of 54 off 25 balls in the final against New Zealand, which helped India clinch the title.
During the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored 517 runs at a strike rate of 197.32. He also scored 215 runs at an incredible strike rate of 231.18 against New Zealand during the recent home T20I bilateral series.
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