Former Indian batter Subramaniam Badrinath reckons in-form Ishan Kishan is going to be the X-factor for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026. Kishan scored a crucial knock of 54 runs off just 24 balls in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
The left-hander also scored a match-winning knock of 77 runs in the high-octane clash against Pakistan. Overall, Kishan scored 317 runs in nine matches of the tournament at an average of 35.22 and a blistering strike rate of 193.29.
Furthermore, Kishan will lead SRH in the first few matches in the absence of full-time skipper Pat Cummins, who is still recovering from a back injury.
Badrinath said on his YouTube Channel, “They didn’t have a great season in 2025 for all the hype and the 300 loading narratives. Their biggest positive is Ishan Kishan’s sensational form. He is going to be the X-factor for SRH. Their top three left-handers, Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Kishan, will be the core of their batting.”
The former CSK batter reckons bowling could be the Orange Army’s kryptonite in IPL 2026.
“They seem to have no bowling, though. If they have to finish in the top four, their bowling will help, and it has to be their batting carrying them. Each time they bat first, they have to score a minimum of 200. But if you have to score 200 to 220 every match, it puts too much pressure on the batters.”
On the other hand, Badrinath reckons the upcoming IPL 2026 season will be crucial for Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill. The GT opener had scored 650 runs in the previous season but could not grab his opportunity with India’s T20I team.
“Shubman Gill recently won the BCCI Cricketer of the Year award. The reason for that is Test cricket. But he has been dropped from T20Is, so this is a crucial season for him. He must have watched the T20 World Cup win and the celebrations and felt bad that he wasn’t part of it,” said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).
The IPL 2026 season will begin with reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Ahmedabad, on March 28.
