Sunrisers Hyderabad stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan hinted at possibly ditching wicket-keeping duties after doing the same during the IPL 2026 encounter against Rajasthan Royals on Monday. Kishan, who was captaining the side in the absence of Australian cricket team star Pat Cummins, played as an outfield fielder while Salil Arora donned the wicket-keeping gloves. When asked about the decision, Kishan explained that it allowed him to communicate better with his bowlers.

“As a captain, I felt, you know, there was some miscommunication going on. You're not able to communicate the plans to your bowlers. So it's better to be there and discuss with them what they're going to bowl, so we can set the field accordingly. And that was the plan, and I think it worked pretty well for us," Kishan explained.

When asked whether this will be the norm going forward, he replied, “Hopefully, yes."

Kishan expressed happiness at his bowlers' performances and plan executions, particularly from two debutants, Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, who were played instead of domestic and India veterans Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat.

It was a pacers' day out at the Uppal Stadium as after a commanding 91 from skipper Ishan, two untested debutants, Praful and Sakib, etched their names in IPL history with four-fers on their debut. With this win, RR's four-match win streak is broken, and SRH have their second win to their name alongside three losses. RR has suffered its first loss but sits at the top of the table, while SRH has jumped to fourth place with two wins and three losses.

Following the match in the post-match presentation, Ishan said, "Very happy with this win. Just felt happy because what we were looking for from the bowlers (freedom in execution), we did that. Credit goes to the bowlers. (On the debutants) You also have to look at how hungry and motivated they feel. They were working throughout the season with bowling coach Varun Aaron. They were talking to experienced players. Had to give them a chance at their home ground. It was the right move today."