Keep Ishan as Captain, Sanjay Bangar backs Ishan Kishan for SRH leadership

New Delhi: Former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar heaped praise on Ishan Kishan's captaincy, saying the wicketkeeper batter as a leader is tactically very good in terms of how he uses his bowlers and suggested that he should continue leading the side even when the regular skipper Pat Cummins comes back. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered their third consecutive victory of the IPL 2026, overpowering Delhi Capitals (DC) by 47 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. Riding on a breathtaking, career-best century from Abhishek Sharma, the hosts posted 242 for 2. In response, a disciplined Sunrisers bowling attack, spearheaded by Eshan Malinga, restricted the DC to 195 for 9, securing a dominant win to go third in the standings. "Ishan Kishan as a leader is tactically very good in terms of how he uses his bowlers. He understands which bowlers to use against which batters. It is a clear marker of how well he controls the game. He doesn’t look clustered, is not hurried, and is taking the right calls on the field. The way he used his spinners against DC was impressive," Bangar said on JioStar. Ishan Kishan has been leading SRH in the absence of Cummins, who has cleared the fitness test on Friday, and is now targeting to play his first match of the season on April 25, when SRH is scheduled to face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur. "All in all, I believe that even if Pat Cummins comes back, Ishan Kishan should continue captaining SRH. More often than not, having an Indian captain brings consistency. You cannot be sure about how fit a bowler of Pat Cummins' caliber will stay throughout the rest of IPL 2026, considering the niggles he’s been dealing with. Ishan continuing with the leadership duties gives a lot of continuity to the players. That would be the way to go for Hyderabad," he added.