Yuvraj Singh on SRH’s Abhishek Sharma captaincy snub: ‘Now with what frame of mind will he play’?
Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek Sharma's mentor, has stated that it is disappointing for any player who has given his ‘heart and soul’ to the franchise ‘ for years’ to have missed out on leading the side. SRH had announced Ishan Kishan as the stand-in skipper for IPL 2026, snubbing Abhishek and the decision had not gone down well with a section of the fans and even some cricket experts.
One of the biggest talking points leading up to the start of IPL 2026 was the Sunrisers Hyderabad's choice of captain in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins. SRH announced Ishan Kishan as the stand-in skipper, snubbing Abhishek Sharma and the decision did not go down well with a section of the fans and even cricket experts. Now, former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek’s mentor, has stated that it is disappointing for any player who has given his ‘heart and soul’ to the franchise ‘ for years’ to have missed out on leading the side.
“It is disappointing. I love Ishan Kishan. I have seen his growth as well in Indian cricket, his comeback as well,” Yuvraj Singh said in SportsTak Podcast.
“If I give you an example, switch this from a player’s perspective - say if Abhishek Sharma, before the World Cup, came into the team, his state team won, scored a hundred in the final, came into the World Cup team, he scores runs and he is captain of the franchise. “On the other hand, Ishan Kishan, playing for one franchise for seven years, has performed, given his heart and soul for the franchise and also captains the state side as well, but does not get captaincy; he gets the vice-captaincy. Now what frame of mind he plays franchise cricket with - with a bit of disappointment.
” However, Yuvraj Singh opined that this snub is something that Abhishek should take as motivation and they try to do even better than what he is doing currently. "If it happened with me, I have to be clear, 'listen, this has happened, I am disappointed'. I spoke to Abhishek as well and told him we are going to put that disappointment aside and I will support my captain and I will try and do even better, because something has hurt me, ab aur zor lagaunga, to do better.