Former Indian batter Sanjay Bangar has showered high praise on Ishan Kishan for his knock against the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad seal a place in the Playoffs of the 2026 Indian Premeri League.
Chasing a total of 181, Kishan scored a brilliant 70 off 47 balls, which formed the backbone of the run chase. He scored seven fours and three sixes in a composed knock. Bangar praised the maturity shown by Kishan in the innings, and lauded his composure, the display of which has become a recurring theme in the 2026 season.
“This has to be one of the defining knocks of Ishan Kishan’s IPL career, and probably one of his finest innings in the tournament as well. Ever since we’ve seen this new version of Ishan Kishan, the one thing that really stands out is his composure. He never looked hurried, and that is a tremendous quality to have in a fast-paced T20 format. To have the belief to stay till the very end and build that partnership was outstanding,” Bangar said, speaking on JioStar.
Kishan stitched a brilliant 75-run stand off 41 balls with Heinrich Klaasen, which helped set the platform for the innings. The former India batting coach also praised the way the wicketkeeper-batter paced his innings, and picked the moments to accelerate and consolidate respectively.
He further stated that this was a type of innings CSK coach Stephen Fleming would have expected from his skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Gaikwad put up another dismal showing with the bat, scoring 15 off 21 balls, and looked unable to get going.
“The kind of role Stephen Fleming would probably have expected from someone like Ruturaj was delivered by Ishan Kishan in the other innings. He stitched the partnership at the right time, attacked when needed, and ensured Klaasen got as much of the strike as possible. There were so many aspects to admire about this innings. It was an absolute joy to watch him bat in such terrific fashion,” Bangar added.
Kishan has been one of the most improved batters in the 2026 IPL. He has followed up his brilliant return to India colours in the 2026 T20 World Cup victory with a fantastic season for the team in orange. He has scored 490 runs at a blistering strike rate of 179.48 with five half-centuries as SRH made a resurgent return to form after a slow start to the season.
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