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    STUMP VISION                                                           MARCH 27, 2026      |  The Indian Eye 42

            Rebuilding Through Domestic

                Excellence: Numbers, Nerve,

                         and a New Ishan Kishan

                   Kishan’s strong performances have now earned him a leadership role in the IPL.

             He was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 11.25 crore and started with a century in

                              his very first match, helping the team post a massive total of 286/6

                                                                                                                  ning innings of 61 off 24 balls against
                                                                                                                  Namibia, proving his toughness and
                                                                                                                  match-winning ability under pres-
                                                                                                                  sure.
                                                                                                                      One of the biggest improve-
                                                                                                                  ments  in  Kishan’s  game  has  been
                                                                                                                  his flexibility and team-first attitude.
                                                                                                                  In the World Cup final against New
                                                                                                                  Zealand, he moved to No. 3 to help
                                                                                                                  the team balance. He scored a quick
                                                                                                                  54 off 25 balls, keeping the scoring
                     ARCHAN MEHTA
                                                                                                                  rate high. His fielding also played a
                                                                                                                  big role in the final. He took a diving
               shan  Kishan’s  journey  has  been                                                                 catch to dismiss Rachin Ravindra on
               defined by highs, setbacks, and a
            Istrong comeback. He first rose to                                                                    the very first ball and later pulled off
                                                                                                                  a  brilliant catch near the boundary
            prominence with Mumbai Indians in                                                                     to dismiss Tim Seifert. These efforts
            the IPL, scoring 516 runs in the 2020                                                                 showed his commitment and sharp
            season at a strike rate of 145.76, play-                                                              awareness on the field.
            ing a key role in their title win. His                                                                    Kishan’s  strong  performances
            aggressive style earned him an India                                                                  have now earned him a leadership
            call-up, where he made an instant                                                                     role in the IPL. He was signed by
            impact  with  half-centuries  on  debut    Ishan Kishan’s return to international cricket came in the 2026 T20 World Cup, and he   Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 11.25
            in both ODIs and T20Is. However,                                                                      crore  and  started  with  a  century  in
            despite consistent performances, he                made an immediate impact (ANI File Photo)          his very first match, helping the team
            often found himself out of the play-                                                                  post  a  massive  total  of  286/6.  With
            ing XI when senior players returned.  a strike rate of 197.33. In the final,   rate of 192.50 and putting Pakistan’s   Pat  Cummins  injured,  Kishan  has
                Between 2022 and 2024, his ca-  he delivered under pressure with   bowlers under immediate pressure.
            reer saw dramatic swings. In Decem-  a brilliant 101 off 49 balls, leading   He scored 45 runs in the Powerplay   been named interim captain for the
                                                                                                                  2026 season, with Abhishek Shar-
            ber 2022, he smashed 210 against   Jharkhand  to  their  first  title.  This   alone,  ensuring  India  got  a  flying   ma as his deputy. This marks a new
            Bangladesh, one of the highest ODI   phase marked a turning point, prov-  start. What stood out was his con-  phase in his career as he takes on
            scores, showcasing his immense po-  ing his hunger, discipline, and readi-  trol;despite the aggression, he main-  more responsibility.
            tential.  But  soon  after,  he  stepped   ness for a return to the highest level.  tained a boundary percentage of over   From being dropped and losing
            away from the South Africa tour cit-  His return to international crick-  65%, showing smart shot selection   his central contract to becoming a
            ing mental fatigue and skipped do-  et came in the 2026 T20 World Cup,   rather than reckless hitting. He also   World Cup star, a No. 2 ranked T20I
            mestic cricket despite board instruc-  and he made an immediate impact.   handled pace and spin equally well,   batter, and an IPL captain, Ishan Kis-
            tions. This led to his exclusion from   The team management picked him   scoring  at  over  180  against  both,   han’s journey is a powerful example
            the 2023/24 central contract list, rais-  as a wicketkeeper-opener to take ad-  which broke Pakistan’s bowling plans   of comeback through performance.
            ing concerns about his commitment.  vantage of the Powerplay overs. He   early in the innings.        His story shows that strong numbers,
                Kishan responded the right way;   proved that decision right with con-  Overall, he scored 317 runs at a
            through performances. Returning   sistent performances. His 77 off 40   strike  rate  of  193.29  in  the  tourna-  hard work, and adaptability can bring
                                                                                                                  any player back to the top.
            to domestic cricket, he dominated   balls against Pakistan was one of the   ment. These numbers helped  him
            the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for   standout innings of the tournament.   climb to No. 2 in the ICC T20I bat-  Archan Mehta is a writer dedicated
            Jharkhand. He scored 517 runs in 10   In that high-pressure game, he at-  ting rankings. Even while dealing   to telling compelling stories about ath-
            innings at an average of 57.44 and   tacked from ball 1, scoring at a strike   with a toe injury, he played a stun-  letes, teams, and the world of cricket.

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