Team India’s former batting coach Sanjay Bangar has revealed that he does not think that Pat Cummins should be handed back the captaincy of Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026 and Ishan Kishan should remain the captain.
Pat Cummins sat out the opening matches for SRH due to workload management and injury related reasons. Cummins is also Australia’s full-time captain in both Tests and ODIs and suffered an injury last year that limited him to just one Ashes Test earlier this year and was ruled out of the T20 World Cup altogether.
Ishan Kishan is a strategic leader- Sanjay Bangar
In the absence of Cummins, Ishan Kishan has been given the captaincy on an interim basis. With 4 wins from 7 matches, Ishan Kishan has taken SRH to the third position in the points table. Bangar appreciated the way Kishan made changes to his bowling. He said that Ishan Kishan was not nervous and he made the right call.
While talking to JioHotstar he said, “As a leader, Ishan Kishan is very good strategically in terms of using his bowlers. He understands which bowler to use against which batsman. It is a clear marker of how well he controls the game. He doesn’t look nervous, doesn’t rush and is taking the right decisions on the field.”
Pat Cummins ready to strengthen SRH attack
Sunrisers Hyderabad has had some problems with their bowling in IPL 2026. Despite being on a three-match winning streak, SRH have had to deal with injuries and poor form from their bowlers.
SRH lost Jack Edwards to injury and had to deal with the unavailability of Pat Cummins. The franchise signed David Payne to replace Edwards, but he was also injured. SRH then brought in Gerald Coetzee. Last week, SRH signed Dilshan Madushanka as a replacement for the injured Brydon Carse.
In the last three matches, SRH also had to deal with the loss of form from stalwarts like Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat. Finally, youngsters like Saqib Hussain and Harsh Dubey have extended their hand. When Cummins eventually arrives, he will also take over the captaincy as he has done in both 2024 and 2025.
Pat Cummins is worried about fitness- Sanjay Bangar
Bangar talked about the continuity that having just one captain throughout the season can bring to a franchise.
He said, “The way they used their spinners against DC was impressive. Overall, I believe that even if Pat Cummins comes back, Ishan should continue to captain SRH. Often, being the Indian captain brings continuity.”
Bangar concluded by highlighting Cummins’ injury history. “You can’t be too sure how fit a bowler of Pat Cummins’s caliber will be throughout the IPL, given the problems he has struggled with. Ishan continuing to take on the leadership duties gives a lot of continuity to the players. That will be the way to go for Hyderabad.”
SRH upcoming matches
Sunrisers Hyderabad is currently on a three-match winning streak. Their next match is against Rajasthan Royals on 25 April.
Incidentally, RR is the same team against which SRH had started their winning campaign. However, before this run, SRH had won only one match out of four.
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