Former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra has picked the SunRisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) batting as their biggest strength heading into IPL 2026 as well. He added that stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan has been in great form and will be expected to take a lot of responsibility this season.

However, Pat Cummins, SRH’s regular captain, will miss the first few matches of IPL 2026 as he is still recovering from a back injury. In his absence, Kishan will lead the squad, with Abhishek Sharma as his deputy.

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In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ said, “The strength is the same as earlier. They are troubled by injuries, and Ishan Kishan is the new captain. Their hands are a little tied, but batting is their strength. It is a batting powerhouse. Ishan Kishan has come with red-hot form. Now he is the captain as well. So you expect him to take more responsibility, and you also expect greater performances. He started the last season very well. It started with a century. Then it tapered off. That won’t happen this year.”

In the same video, Aakash Chopra stated that the SunRisers Hyderabad might have the most explosive opening pair in the upcoming IPL 2026, with Tim Seifert and Finn Allen unlikely to play together for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as well.

“Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma might be the most explosive openers of this league because Tim Seifert and Finn Allen might not be seen playing together. Only one of them would play. Then Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Phil Salt are there, but they (Head and Abhishek) might be the most explosive opening pair when we measure them with that parameter. They are brilliant,” Aakash Chopra concluded.