Why Ishan Kishan is thriving away from Mumbai Indians: Ambati Rayudu explains SRH superstar’s career-best IPL 2026 season originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Ishan Kishan is having his best-ever IPL season with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2026.
- Rayudu says leaving the star-studded Mumbai Indians helped Kishan grow significantly.
- Captaining Jharkhand and improved shot selection are behind his remarkable transformation.
Away from MI’s shadow, Ishan Kishan is finally becoming the superstar batter at SRH
Ishan Kishan’s move from Mumbai Indians to Sunrisers Hyderabad, following seven years at one of the league’s most glamorous franchises, has been a step in the right direction.
The wicketkeeper-batter is currently having the finest IPL campaign of his career, sitting fifth on the Orange Cap standings with 569 runs from 14 matches at an average of 40.64 and a blistering strike rate of 178.36.
His 79 off 46 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday, which earned him the Player of the Match award, was his sixth half-century of the season, more than double his previous best of three in any single IPL campaign.
What did Ambati Rayadu say about Ishan Kishan?
Former India batter Ambati Rayudu, speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out, offered a candid explanation for Kishan’s flourishing at SRH.
Rayudu himself spent years at Mumbai Indians from 2009 to 2017, though he says his own experience there was different because personal fame never preoccupied him. For Kishan, he suggested, growing up inside a franchise packed with established superstars created pressures that are easy to underestimate.
“Growing up in a franchise like Mumbai, he wants to be a superstar – he is a superstar in his own right now – but back then to compete against all the stars around him would have been very, very tough.”
“Those guys know when to switch on in terms of their game, when to come back. But a lot of these young boys don’t know how to switch off and how to switch on. That’s a big challenge and I’m sure he has learnt and he has learnt it the hard way.”
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Rayudu also highlighted two specific factors behind Kishan’s growth. The first is a visible improvement in shot selection, something that had let Kishan down in earlier seasons when poor choices under pressure cost him dearly. The second is the responsibility of captaining Jharkhand in domestic cricket.
“His shot selection has improved big time,” Rayudu said. “In his initial years, we have seen him make some wrong decisions in terms of shot selection. But here we saw him making the right call most of the time.
“I think his captaincy for Jharkhand made him realise a lot of things about his own game as well. Sometimes when you get captaincy, people transform into better batsmen and he is one of them who has massively improved in terms of clarity.”
𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚 💪
🎥 Ishan Kishan on his 4️⃣th consecutive FIFTY vs #RCB 🗣️#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #SRHvRCB | @SunRiserspic.twitter.com/zeeO7Uo6Vn
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 22, 2026
Kishan, after his knock against RCB, echoed much of what Rayudu described. He spoke about the importance of understanding the situation, reading the pitch, and making the right call about which bowler to target and when.
“More than maturity, it’s about shot selection. So, when to play which shot, who to target. So I’m just trying to take one ball at a time, know the situation, understand the pitch and just play your shots,” he said.
“End of the day, you need to feel confident in the middle. And if you’re feeling that way, just make sure you play those good shots.”
The Cricket News Opinion: Kishan shining after being given room to breathe
Kishan’s story in 2026 is not just about one good season; it is about what happens when a talented cricketer is finally given the space and responsibility to own his place in a team.
Mumbai Indians, for all their brilliance, can be an overwhelming environment for a young batter still figuring out his game.
At SRH, Kishan has a clear role, genuine ownership of his position, and no ceiling of stars above him. The results speak for themselves. Indian cricket has a habit of writing off players too quickly when they struggle inside big franchises. Kishan is a reminder that the environment matters just as much as the ability.
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