Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered a comfortable 47-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC) to take the third spot on the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 points table. As Ishan Kishan led SRH to their fourth win of the season, former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coach Sanjay Bangar has urged the franchise to retain the wicketkeeper-batter as their captain even when Pat Cummins is fit to play.
Cummins was managing an injury which led to Kishan taking over the captaincy with Abhishek Sharma as his deputy. The Australian pacer then flew back for scans and got the green light to play for SRH. He joined the camp last week but will play his first match of the season on April 25 against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Bangar lauded how Kishan controls the game and doesn’t get much affected when things don’t go his way.
“Ishan Kishan as a leader is tactically very good in terms of how he uses his bowlers. He understands which bowlers to use against which batters. It is a clear marker of how well he controls the game. He doesn’t look flustered, is not hurried, and is taking the right calls on the field," Bangar said on JioHotstar.
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Before leading SRH, Kishan also led Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title which led to him earning a place in T20 World Cup 2026 squad. Bangar was impressed to see how he used spinners against DC while defending a target of 243.
“The way he used his spinners against DC was impressive. All in all, I believe that even if Pat Cummins comes back, Ishan should continue captaining SRH. More often than not, having an Indian captain brings consistency," the former all-rounder said.
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Why Bangar doesn’t want Cummins to be SRH skipper?
Bangar also pointed out that Cummins coming off an injury. His last appearance was in an Ashes 2025-26 game after which he missed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as well along with first half of the IPL 2026.
“You cannot be sure about how fit a bowler of Pat Cummins’ calibre will stay throughout the rest of IPL, considering the niggles he’s been dealing with. Ishan continuing with the leadership duties gives a lot of continuity to the players. That would be the way to go for Hyderabad," he further added.
Kishan gave up wicketkeeping for more impact as captain
Earlier, Kishan had given up wicketkeeping gloves to communicate better with his bowlers. The move worked, especially with youngsters Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain troubling batters with their raw pace and variations. SRH have registered four wins from seven games in the first half of their campaign.