Ishan Kishan keeps rewriting his story, from India outcast to SRH captain

IPL 2026: Ishan Kishan faces the challenging task of leading Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pat Cummins' absence, but given the kind of 2026 he has enjoyed so far, all eyes will be on how the Jharkhand batter rises to the occasion in the IPL.

2026, in numerology, is the Universal Year of 1 - the beginning of a fresh 9-year cycle, symbolic of new starts, bold moves, and journeys into the unknown.

If there is one cricketer who would gladly buy into that belief right now, it is Ishan Kishan. Not even three months into the year, and Kishan must feel like the wheel of fortune has finally turned in his favour. After spending much of 2025 toiling hard without the rewards he craved, the Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter suddenly seems to have found the Midas touch.

For a long time, the road back to the Indian team looked uncertain. The comeback felt distant, and the light at the end of the tunnel dimmed with every passing series.

But 2026 has brought with it a dramatic shift in fortunes. Kishan fought his way back into India’s T20I setup, emerged as one of the side’s standout batters at the T20 World Cup, and capped it off with a place in the ICC’s Team of the Tournament as India successfully defended their title.

Now, the 27-year-old has another chapter to script. With Pat Cummins sidelined through injury, Kishan has been entrusted with the Sunrisers Hyderabad captaincy for the IPL season - even if only on an interim basis.

Yet, for a player whose career has often swung between promise and uncertainty, this is more than just a stop-gap leadership role. It is another sign that 2026 may well be the year everything begins to align.