No longer being part of the star-heavy Mumbai Indians set-up has played a major role in Ishan Kishan’s development, Ambati Rayudu believes. Kishan, who is enjoying what Rayudu calls his most impactful IPL stretch, spent seven years with MI before being picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the 2025 auction.
Rayudu, who represented Mumbai Indians from 2009 to 2017, says his own journey felt smoother because he didn’t chase the spotlight. “But for someone like him [Kishan],” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo Time Out, “growing up in a franchise like Mumbai, he wants to be a superstar — he is a superstar in his own right now — but back then it would have been extremely, extremely difficult to compete with all the stars surrounding him.”
“Those players know when to switch on, in terms of their game, and when to switch back off. But many of these young boys don’t know how to manage that — how to turn it on and how to turn it off. That’s a big challenge, and I’m certain he has learned it, and learned it the hard way.”
Kishan is currently placed fifth in the IPL 2026 Orange Cap standings. Across 14 matches so far, he has amassed 569 runs at an average of 40.64, striking at 178.36. His innings of 79 from 46 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday not only helped his side, but also earned him the Player-of-the-Match award. It was his sixth score of 50 or more this season. Before the current campaign, he had never reached more than three fifties in a single IPL season.
Rayudu also highlighted the evolution in Kishan’s batting choices. “His shot selection has improved a lot,” he said. “In his early years, we’ve seen him make a few wrong calls regarding shot selection. But in this phase, we’ve consistently seen him make the right decision more often than not.”
“And I feel his captaincy stint for Jharkhand helped him understand a lot about his own game as well. Sometimes, when you take on captaincy, you grow into a better batsman — and he’s one of the ones who has improved massively, especially in terms of having clearer thinking.”
