IPL 2026: It all falls into place for Ishan Kishan again

CHENNAI: In less than 24 hours, Ishan Kishan went from locking down the IPL playoffs for Sunrisers Hyderabad to reclaiming his place in India’s ODI set-up after almost three years.Just a day after producing a fluent ‘Player of the Match’ performance (70 off 47b; 7×4, 3×6) in SRH’s five-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings on a slow surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the wicket-keeper batsman was named in India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against Ri Afghani ODIs. Ironically, the last ODI Ishan played for India also came against Afghanistan in October 2023 before his career hit a turbulent phase. A classic comeback arc ensued. Ishan mastered the domestic grind, forced his way back into the international business and played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph.And during the T20 World Cup, the dapper southpaw said he was “a changed man now”. This newfound maturity formed the basis of his knock against CSK on Monday.Coming in at No. 3 in the third over of the chase, on a deck where the ball did not fall easily on the bat, Ishan paced his innings brilliantly alongside Heinrich Klaasen. By the time he fell in the 19th over, SRH were just six runs away from sealing a place in the playoffs.“When I was holding on, I felt this surface wasn’t going to be easy. I felt it was going to be a bit much to chase that total (181). As a No. 3 batsman, I felt my job was just to try and finish the game. So it was just about being there and believing in myself. Sometimes it’s a difficult situation, but we all just know how these games are won and trying to play… the end.” Ishan said after the match.SRH assistant coach James Franklin also praised the Southpaw for his efforts. “I think Ishan has been brilliant for us this season. It was probably his best innings so far in the IPL this year because the conditions were different to the flat surfaces we play on. Today the batsmen had to construct their innings in a different way and I thought Ishan’s innings was just full of maturity,” said the Kiwi.

Ishan rubs salt in CSK’s wounds

After pushing CSK to the brink, Ishan rubbed further salt into their wounds with a cautionary gesture towards the Chepauk crowd before brazenly gesturing towards the exits to the sea of ​​yellow fans. The celebrations quickly went viral and sparked plenty of pranks on the internet. He twisted the knife further on Instagram later that night: “The only thing louder than the whistles was the bat. Into the playoffs,” read his caption.