Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins lauded Ishan Kishan for delivering a composed, match-defining innings after SRH beat Chennai Super Kings by five wickets at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, sealing qualification for the IPL 2026 playoffs. Chasing 181, Sunrisers reached the target in 19 overs, with Kishan steering the innings superbly—he struck 70 off 47 balls to keep the chase moving in the right direction. Heinrich Klaasen contributed a steady 47 as well, and the pair’s efforts helped SRH clinch a crucial victory while also booking their place in the postseason, alongside the Gujarat Titans.
After the match, Cummins said the batting conditions at Chepauk demanded a different approach. He praised the way his batters adapted to the surface and highlighted how tough it was to forge momentum. “Really satisfying. It’s a bit different from how we normally play. Very happy. That partnership, it was really tough, we thought you need one or two really good partnerships,” Cummins said following the win.
While SRH are often associated with high-tempo batting, the captain acknowledged that this particular wicket required restraint. He explained that the ball didn’t come onto the bat as easily, making timing and patience more important than raw aggression. “We are not famous for responsible batting. But yeah, when we were bowling, the ball was keeping low and not quite coming on. It was about par. They play here and know the wicket a lot better,” Cummins added.
SRH’s chase started to wobble when Travis Head was dismissed early, but Kishan and Abhishek Sharma regrouped and stitched the innings back together. From there, Kishan continued to build pressure, forming another vital partnership with Klaasen. Throughout the run chase, Kishan managed the strike intelligently, accelerating when the situation called for it and maintaining control to ensure SRH stayed on course.
Cummins went on to single out Kishan even more for showing leadership under pressure and for taking charge during the most important phase of the match. “Winning today was what mattered. You can’t give yourselves a better chance than what we have. Ishan deserves all the credit for leading the side for the first half,” he said.
The skipper also pointed out that there are still improvements to be made despite the significant result. “There are a few areas we can improve, but overall, we are happy,” Cummins said.
With this win, SRH climbed to third place in the points table, collecting 16 points from 13 matches. Their next assignment is against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 22, with the match set to be played at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.
