‘I felt blessed from upstairs’: Ishan Kishan dedicates SRH playoff-clinching knock to grieving cousin - Watch
Ishan Kishan's match-winning 70 against Sunrisers Hyderabad was fueled by a personal tragedy, as he aimed to finish the game for his grieving cousin present in the stands. Despite a challenging Chepauk pitch, Kishan's composed innings anchored SRH's chase, securing their playoff spot. He felt a sense of power, dedicating the victory to his family.
NEW DELHI: Ishan Kishan spoke about an emotional family tragedy that was driving him during his match-winning knock as Sunrisers Hyderabad sealed their IPL 2026 playoff berth with a five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. Kishan’s composed 70 off 47 balls anchored SRH’s chase of 181, but after the game, the left-hander said the innings meant far more than just qualification. His cousin, dealing with a recent family bereavement, was in the stands watching — and Kishan said that became his motivation.
“Sometimes I feel it’s also about motivation, and for me, my motivation was today, my cousin is just standing there. He lost his sister. It was a tough time in our family and they are watching the match for the first time here,” Kishan said.
“So I just wanted to finish the game for them. I’m glad they were here to witness this innings, and I was able to finish this game. ” An innings built on patience Kishan said the challenge at Chepauk became clear even while he was behind the stumps, with the surface offering enough grip and variable bounce to make the chase tricky.
“When I was wicketkeeping, I just felt this wicket is not easy. I still felt chasing this total is going to be a bit too much because the wicket was not at all easy, especially when spinners were bowling and those slow balls working out very well,” he said. Batting at No.