Ishan Kishan looks impossible to contain, and his momentum has carried straight from the T20 World Cup into the Indian Premier League season. The Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper-batter has been delivering one impactful innings after another, and on Saturday he produced a standout knock of 74 off only 31 balls—striking 11 fours and clearing the ropes 3 times—to steer SRH toward a successful chase of 229. The chase was completed with five wickets in hand and nine balls still available. With 312 runs from eight matches, Kishan is firmly in the run-scoring conversation in the 19th edition of the T20 tournament.
It’s also worth noting that Kishan finished as India’s second-highest run-getter during the World Cup-winning campaign, where he struck 317 runs in total. Yet even after another high-profile performance, he believes his best is still to come, insisting that audiences have not seen the full extent of what he can do.
After being named Player of the Match, Kishan was asked whether this innings represented the finest batting of his career. The SRH wicketkeeper-batter immediately shut down that suggestion, answering with a clear “no” when asked if it was his career-best.
“No, I think my best is yet to come,” Kishan said. “You have to be in a good headspace—just watch the ball and don’t get ahead of yourself about which shots you’re going to play. So I was simply thinking, let’s watch the ball. It’s a big ground, so I’ll keep finding some gaps, big gaps. When the ball isn’t there, maybe you can drive it into the gap, and you keep the run-rate moving. That was the job. I think it was a pretty good wicket—there wasn’t much thinking required. Just bat, bat, and enjoy.”
Against the Rajasthan Royals, Kishan played a key role in a dominant partnership with Abhishek Sharma. The two combined for a 132-run stand off just 55 deliveries, with Abhishek contributing 57 from 29 balls. Once the duo were dismissed, the momentum had already been firmly set, and SRH ultimately reached the target in the 19th over.
Explaining how the chase was managed, Kishan said, “I think we were pretty calm. And the most important thing when you’re chasing a total like 228 is you need a good powerplay first. With Head and Abhishek opening, they make it easier for the rest of the batters, even if you’re only batting for four overs. So I was just batting with them and communicating with Abhishek.”
He added that the communication and awareness helped the pair settle quickly in the middle. “He was very aware of the game—what was happening, what the run-rate was. I was just playing my shots, and I think both of us put together a great partnership in the middle, which helped our team,” Kishan said.
Pat Cummins return
The Rajasthan Royals match also signalled the return of Pat Cummins to the SRH leadership role as skipper. With Cummins absent earlier, Kishan captained the franchise in seven games and guided them to four wins. Still, once the pacer returned to full fitness, Kishan was pleased to hand over the reins.
“It was quite fun, leading the side for seven games, and then Pat coming in and giving us that extra bowling firepower. I was really happy when he returned to the team because he’s a tremendous captain. So for me, I was thinking about my batting and wicketkeeping more than leadership,” Kishan said.
With the win over RR, SRH moved up to third place in the points table. Their next assignment is against the Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, April 29, at the Wankhede Stadium.
