Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has announced Ishan Kishan as the stand-in captain for a few matches in IPL 2026. He will lead the team until regular captain Pat Cummins becomes fit and is ready to play again.
Kishan will captain the team in the opening match against defending champions RCB at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28.
This season will also be special because all 10 teams will start with Indian captains for the first time in IPL history.
The team confirmed that Pat Cummins will miss the first few matches due to a lower back injury. SRH said, 'Pat Cummins will miss a few games while recovering from injury. Until he recovers, Ishan Kishan will be the captain and Abhishek Sharma will be the vice-captain.'
While Kishanhas been given the captaincy role, aggressive opener Abhishek Sharma has been named vice-captain. The former MI opener got this role after his strong performance in the T20 World Cup 2026, where he scored 317 runs at a strike rate of 193. He played an important role in the powerplay, while Abhishek had a tough run for most of the tournament.
Even though 2026 is only Kishan's second season with the team, he has been given the captaincy role. The decision may be because of his recent success as a captain with Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he led the team to the title last season .He scored 517 runs in just 10 matches with a very high strike rate of 197. He was also the top scorer of the tournament.
That is main reason why the rising star of Jharkhand has been chosen as captain instead of Abhishek Sharma.
Check full SRH schedule and venues starting with RCB clash on March 28
The IPL 2026 will start on March 28 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing against Sunrisers Hyderabad. After that, the Orange Army will play two away matches and one home match in the first phase of the tournament. Check their full fixtures here:
SRH vs RCB: Sunrisers Hyderabad will start their IPL 2026 campaign with a big match against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The match will be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28 at 7:30 PM. In past matches, SRH has a small lead with 14 wins, while RCB has 11 wins. Still, playing against RCB in the first match will be a tough challenge.
SRH vs KKR: On April 2, SRH will travel to Kolkata to play against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. SRH has not done well against KKR in the past, winning only 10 matches and losing 20. They will try to improve their record against a new KKR team.
SRH vs LSG: SRH will play their third match at home against Lucknow Super Giants. The match will be held at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. It will be an afternoon game, and the pitch usually supports high scoring. Both teams have strong batting, so it could be an exciting match.
SRH vs PBKS: On April 11, SRH will play against Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur. SRH has a good record against Punjab and also won their last match in 2025.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Fixtures at a glance:
| Day | Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | March 28 | RCB vs SRH | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| Thursday | April 2 | KKR vs SRH | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| Sunday | April 5 | SRH vs LSG | Hyderabad | 3:30 PM |
| Saturday | April 11 | PBKS vs SRH | Mullanpur | 3:30 PM |
Watch fans react as Abhishek Sharma becomes vice captain under Ishan Kishan leadership
Fans were excited as Abhishek Sharma was named vice-captain of Sunrisers Hyderabadfor IPL 2026 under the leadership of Ishan Kishan. Many fans believe this new leadership combination can bring fresh energy to the team The announcement quickly caught attention, with many supporters sharing their reactions on social media and praising the young duo.