Ishan Kishan’s comeback story reads like a T20 survival manual: low valleys, fierce work, and a brutal, beautiful return to form just when it mattered most. On February 2, 2026, Kishan looked back candidly on one of his toughest moments — a low point at the Mumbai Indians where a barren IPL run left him visibly emotional.
Recalling the September 26, 2021 game when RCB beat MI by 54 runs and he managed just 9 off 12, Kishan told the 2 Sloggers podcast that he was on the verge of tears until Virat Kohli quietly consoled him. “I just somehow managed to hold back tears,” he admitted, showing how the dressing-room bond helped steady a young player under pressure.
Contrast that with his peak forms: Kishan’s breakout IPL 2020 produced 516 runs in 14 matches at a blistering strike rate, including a near-century (99) against RCB. That season helped cement his reputation as a match-winner. But form is fickle — a dip saw him dropped from the BCCI central contract list in 2024, forcing a return to domestic cricket and hard graft.
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Kishan answered that call emphatically. He led Jharkhand to the SMAT 2025 title, scoring a century in the final, and rebuilt his credentials on the field. Sunrisers Hyderabad backed that revival, buying him for INR 11.25 crore in the 2025 auction. He rewarded that faith with a hundred in his first SRH match and compiled 354 runs in 13 innings that season at a healthy strike rate of 152.58 — clear evidence his destructive touch was back.
Forever grateful to Virat kohli for introducing ishan kishan in Indian cricket and giving us another future superstar who can made India proud for a long time ❤️pic.twitter.com/iOjfVNzHtj
— KOHLI ERA™ (@KINGNATION_18) January 31, 2026
That momentum carried into international duty. Recalled for the New Zealand T20I series, Kishan finished the tour strongly with match-defining knocks, including a scintillating 103 and a gutsy 76 in the set of innings that reminded selectors of his finishing and powerplay credentials. Those performances were pivotal to his inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad, and put him in contention for a starting role when India face the USA at Wankhede on February 7.
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Kishan’s arc — from IPL struggles and contract setbacks to domestic leadership and international fireworks — underlines a simple truth: resilience wins more selectors than form alone. For a player who once produced the fastest double century in ODIs (as many still recall), this renaissance feels less like a comeback and more like a return to natural order. Expect Kishan to be a headline-maker again this World Cup.
