Ishan Kishan is set to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as their regular captain Pat Cummins will miss the first few matches of the Indian Super League 2026 (IPL 2026). Kishan will be the stopgap leader of the team during the absence of Cummins.
The Jharkhand-born player had a long way to go before he could boast of recent achievements. SRH’s decision to appoint Ishan Kishan as temporary captain is just the tip of a huge iceberg in the ocean.
Only those who have watched the keeper-batsman closely can tell how much hard work he had to do before making a spectacular comeback for Team India, first in domestic cricket and then in T20Is.
The assistant coach of Jharkhand cricket team explained to ‘captain’ Ishan Kishan.
Jharkhand cricket team assistant coach Sunny Gupta is one of the few people who was close to Ishan Kishan during his days with the state team.
Gupta explained how the charismatic cricketer transformed the team as a leader. Under Kishan’s leadership, Jharkhand will participate in their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the 2025-26 season.
According to an article in the Indian Express, Gupta recalled how the top-order batsman changed the mentality of the team. As team captain, he convinced the players that they were in the tournament only to win the trophy.
As a first step, he issued some rules in the dressing room. His goal was to create a positive atmosphere in the dressing room, to motivate everyone no matter the circumstances. Even if a player had a bad day on the field, Kishan would not allow that player to sit with his head bowed.
“Ishaan was clear about one thing that the dressing room should be a happy place irrespective of wins and losses,” said the assistant coach of the Jharkhand cricket team.
Ishan implemented another rule to maintain fine tuning even in less important matches. According to media reports, players of Jharkhand cricket team will have to pay a fee of one thousand rupees. Ran late to catch the team bus.
He is different in terms of planning: Gupta
Several videos were surfacing on social media platforms giving hints about the character of the cricketer. It can be guessed from the video that this wicketkeeper batsman, who made the Indian cricket team win the T20 World Cup 2026 just a few days ago, is a fun-loving person.
But the reality may be different from this. The coach told that Ishan Kishan is a completely different player in the dressing room and on the field.
“People see him as a laughing guy, but he is different when it comes to planning. He sits studying the opponents before he ends his meeting – mapping out each player, watching endless videos. Sometimes two hours in advance,” Gupta said.
Ishaan is not one of those people who believes in just talking – Virat Singh
Ishan’s Jharkhand teammate Virat Singh said that his captain only believes in results, and if the team needs to score runs at a fast pace, he will be in the front line.
He further added, “He is not one of those people who only believes in talking. If the team decided to score fast runs, he would be the first one to raise his hand. From that day onwards, whenever I went to bat, he was standing behind me watching me and guiding me. So he earned that trust.”
Read more: Ishan Kishan loses his cool on Zeeshan Ansari during SRH intra-squad game