"Even if Pat Cummins comes back, Ishan Kishan should continue as SRH captain": Sanjay Bangar

Cummins had travelled back to Australia earlier this month for follow-up assessments on a lumbar stress injury that has limited his appearances since July last year.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the scans conducted in Sydney have confirmed that the injury has healed, paving the way for his return to competitive cricket.

Cummins is now targeting a comeback on April 25, when SRH is scheduled to face Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

The Australian all-rounder indicated via social media that he is set to fly back to India imminently to rejoin the squad. In the absence of Cummins, Indian cricketer Kishan has been leading the SRH side in the IPL 2026 edition.

Hailing Kishan's leadership in the absence of Cummins, Bangar praised Kishan's clarity of thought and calm decision-making on the field, particularly in his use of bowlers during match situations.

Speaking on Star Sports, JioStar expert Bangar said, "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," Bangar said, adding that the young captain has shown maturity in controlling the flow of the game without appearing rushed."

Bangar backed continuity in leadership, suggesting that Kishan should retain the captaincy even when Cummins returns to full fitness.

Bangar added, "The way he used his spinners against DC was impressive. 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' calibre will stay throughout the rest of the 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."

SRH produced a dominant all-round performance to defeat DC by 47 runs in their IPL clash in Hyderabad.

Abhishek Sharma starred with a sensational unbeaten 135 off 68 balls, smashing 10 sixes to power his team to a massive 242/2 after being put in to bat. He was well supported by a blistering 37 off 13 balls from Heinrich Klaasen.

In reply, DC showed brief resistance through Nitish Rana (57) and KL Rahul (37), but regular wickets derailed their chase despite a quick start.

The turning point came through a double strike from Eshan Malinga, who finished with 4/32, while Harsh Dubey added a late burst of wickets to wrap up the innings. Delhi were eventually bowled out, falling short as SRH's bowling attack maintained control throughout. (ANI)