SunRisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma is reportedly unhappy with captaincy change in the franchise and is likely to leave the team ahead of the IPL 2027 season. Notably, as the new season of the cash-rich
league approaches, discussions over retention and releases have been surfacing. Amidst all the rumours, Sharma has emerged as one of the biggest talking points as the team is seeking a captaincy change.
As per reports, the Orange Army is keen to hand the captaincy to Ishan Kishan as Pat Cummins is likely to remain unavailable due to an intense international calendar in 2027. In the midst of all the discussions, the star opener is looking to make changes and is keen on finding a new home as early as the upcoming season.
Reports by TimesofIndia have confirmed that there has been informal talks between teams including the Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and the Punjab Kings. However, nothing has materialised yet. As per the aforementioned sources, a well-placed industry source has asserted that it’s a tricky situation for all the parties involved.
“It’s not a secret anymore that Abhishek Sharma is unhappy at SRH since the captaincy went to Ishan Kishan. He has been with the franchise for a long time and clearly had captaincy ambitions. Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, and Punjab Kings were being explored as potential destinations, and we can’t rule out Delhi Capitals either, since his mentor Yuvraj Singh is part of the set-up now,” the source was quoted as saying.
Things complicate in SunRisers Hyderabad amidst captaincy talks: Reports
The sources have stated that the situation in the team has been tense since the franchise decided to hand over captaincy to the wicketkeeper-batter last season. However, as per the source, there are not many captaincy opportunities throughout the league, except Kolkata Knight Riders and the Lucknow Super Giants.
“There are not many captaincy opportunities right now. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are two options, but most other teams appear sorted. So even if SRH and Abhishek agree to part ways, the big question remains: where to? And how will SRH position itself even if they agree? A cash deal? Player trade? Lots of factors,” added the source.
However, SRH CEO K Shanmugam denied the rumours of tension and labelled the chat as ‘not true.’
