The IPL 2026 preparations of Sunrisers Hyderabad were marked by a hot-tempered incident in one of the practice matches on Saturday, where stand-in captain Ishan Kishan was the center of a heated exchange. It took place during the eighth over of the second innings when the Indian wicketkeeper-batter was dismissed by the leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari after a fun-filled mini-battle.
Ishan Kishan seemed to be on the offensive at the crease, and he took on Ansari, intending to attack him. The left-hander hit two sixes and two boundaries on the first 4 deliveries, putting the bowler on the spot. But Ansari made a smart reply and swindled Kishan with a misplaced full delivery, which resulted in a faulty shot. The ball was taken safely at deep square leg, and Kishan had a very short yet significant innings.
A fiery moment for Ishan Kishan amid leadership duties
Send off to Ishan Kishan 🤯
During the intra squad match today, Zeeshan Ansari, a bowler for Sunrisers Hyderabad, was seen giving a send off to his own captain Ishan Kishan after dismissing him.
The team atmosphere doesn’t seem to be very good.
pic.twitter.com/3b75QtTh3F
— Stubbsy  (@spideypant_) March 21, 2026
Next thing that caught the eye was the animated send-off given by Ansari, who pointed towards the pavilion and beckoned Ishan Kishan to turn back. The situation might have worsened, but Kishan decided to make fun of it and chuckled at the action on his way back. The interaction brought in some excitement to the otherwise normal practice session of SRH and gave an indication of the competition that prevailed in the squad environment.
The episode is timed when Kishan has taken over the franchise in a leadership position. In early 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s new interim captain was appointed, and his deputy is Abhishek Sharma. It was made without regular skipper Pat Cummins, who is still on a lower back stress injury, which also prevented him from playing major overseas tours, such as some of the recent Ashes and the T20 World Cup.
Also Read: Johnson Charles pulls out of PSL 2026; Karachi Kings confirm replacement signing
Although the franchise has not stated the number of matches that Cummins would play, the appointment of Kishan explains the rising popularity of the Indian cricketer. The 26-year-old just finished a spectacular journey in cross formats, as he was instrumental in India’s T20 World Cup victory. He ended up as the fourth-best run-scorer in the tournament with 317 runs in 9 matches at a good strike rate and three half-centuries.
The ICC T20I rankings have also witnessed the development of Kishan, as he is today ranked among the best batsmen in the world. To further his accolade, he is the leader who recently helped Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which would be a testament to his leadership capabilities.
With SRH preparing to take part in the new season of IPL, the collision moments, such as the one on Saturday, show that the camp is quite intense, and the focus on Kishan as a prominent batter and an interim captain is very high.
Comments are closed.