A major development is brewing inside Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2027. Star opener Abhishek Sharma could potentially leave SRH, with the franchise’s captaincy plans believed to be one of the major reasons behind his reported unhappiness.
According to a Times of India report, Abhishek has not been happy with the way the leadership situation has developed at SRH and has been exploring his options.
Tezzbuzz understands that SRH are set to hand the captaincy to Ishan Kishan for IPL 2027, as Pat Cummins is not expected to be available for most of the season. If that happens, Abhishek’s own ambition of leading the franchise could once again remain unfulfilled.
And that is where the situation becomes complicated.
Why is Abhishek Sharma unhappy with SRH?
The issue can be traced back to IPL 2026.
When Pat Cummins was unavailable at the beginning of the season, SRH appointed Ishan Kishan as their interim captain, while Abhishek Sharma was named vice-captain.
For Abhishek, the decision was significant. He had been associated with SRH since 2019 and had developed into one of the most important players in their setup. He also had ambitions of becoming a captain.
Ishan, meanwhile, had joined SRH only ahead of IPL 2025 but was preferred for the leadership role.
According to the report, Abhishek was not happy with the decision and subsequently started exploring whether opportunities could be available elsewhere.
The situation has now become even more important because Kishan is set to become SRH’s full-time captain next season if Cummins remains unavailable for most of IPL 2027.
No personal dispute between Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan
One thing needs to be made clear: there is no indication of a personal fight between Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.
The issue is related to the franchise’s leadership decision.
Abhishek has spent years at SRH and established himself as a major part of the team. From his perspective, being overlooked for the captaincy despite that long association could naturally be disappointing, particularly when he has leadership ambitions of his own.
The situation has some similarities with what happened at Mumbai Indians when Hardik Pandya returned from Gujarat Titans and was immediately appointed captain despite long-serving senior players such as Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav already being part of the setup.
The difference here is that SRH still have time to resolve the situation before it reaches that level.
Could SRH trade Abhishek Sharma?
This could now become the biggest question.
If Abhishek has clearly communicated to SRH that he is unhappy with his role and wants to explore another franchise, there is a good possibility that SRH could consider a trade ahead of IPL 2027.
No franchise ideally wants one of its biggest players entering a season dissatisfied with his role. An unresolved situation can eventually affect an individual’s performance, dressing-room environment and the team’s long-term planning.
Therefore, if Abhishek has formally told SRH that he wants a change, finding a suitable trade could make more sense for both sides than forcing the relationship to continue.
However, nothing has been finalised yet. Abhishek remains an SRH player, and neither the player nor the franchise has officially announced that he will leave.
The TOI report also states that people within the SRH camp dismissed the developments as rumours when contacted.
So, at this stage, an Abhishek exit is a possibility rather than a confirmed move.
KKR and Delhi Capitals could be natural options
If Abhishek eventually decides to leave Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals could be two logical franchises to watch.
Captaincy would be an important factor.
If leadership ambition is one of the reasons behind Abhishek considering his future at SRH, moving to another franchise where he once again has little chance of becoming captain would not necessarily solve the problem.
KKR could potentially offer him a much bigger leadership role. Apart from being one of the world’s leading T20 batters, Abhishek is an Indian player entering the prime years of his career. If Kolkata decide to restructure their leadership group, he could potentially become a long-term captaincy option.
Delhi Capitals present an equally interesting possibility, but for another reason as well — Yuvraj Singh.
Yuvraj has been Abhishek’s mentor for years and has played an important role in his development. With Yuvraj involved with Delhi’s setup, the opportunity to work closely with his mentor could make DC a natural destination if Abhishek becomes available.
Delhi could also potentially provide him with a pathway towards captaincy.
Therefore, if Abhishek genuinely decides that his future lies away from Hyderabad, KKR and Delhi Capitals could be two of the most logical destinations.
A major decision awaits SRH and Abhishek Sharma
SRH now have an important situation to manage.
Ishan Kishan is set to become their captain for IPL 2027 if Pat Cummins remains unavailable for most of the tournament. At the same time, Abhishek Sharma has grown into one of the biggest players in the franchise and has captaincy ambitions of his own.
SRH would certainly not want to lose a player of Abhishek’s quality. But if the player has made it clear that he is unhappy and wants a different role elsewhere, the franchise will eventually have to decide whether convincing him to stay or exploring a trade is the better option.
For now, there is no confirmed trade and no official announcement that Abhishek Sharma is leaving Sunrisers Hyderabad.
But if the differences over leadership cannot be resolved, Abhishek Sharma’s future could become one of the biggest stories ahead of IPL 2027.
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