Sunrisers Hyderabad secured a spot in the 2026 Indian Premier League playoffs after defeating the Chennai Super Kings on Monday, May 18, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The victory eliminated Chennai from playoff contention as Sunrisers continued its aggressive campaign under split leadership between Ishan Kishan and regular captain Pat Cummins.
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Kishan Shines with Bat and Captaincy
Kishan scored 70 runs in the match and led the team during the first half of the season while Cummins recovered from a lower back lumbar stress injury suffered in July last year.
Under Kishan's captaincy, the team secured four wins out of seven matches, rebounding from three losses in their opening four fixtures before Cummins returned to lead the squad for six matches.
Regular skipper Cummins praised the leadership transition and noted that he preferred to let the stand-in captain manage the team independently based on his successful domestic track record.
"We had a few good options. He (Kishan) has had a great domestic season as captain.
I got asked a question (on stand-in captaincy), and I said 'Oh, Ishan would be great, the boys love him'.
He was awesome. I let him do his thing.
I didn't get too involved, was there if he needed me. He knows how to captain well, so I stayed out of his way," said Cummins.
The franchise retained its aggressive playing style throughout the tournament after receiving strong backing from the team ownership following an underwhelming campaign during the previous season.
