Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have had a sensational comeback in IPL 2026 after enduring a shaky start to the season, and skipper Pat Cummins has now spoken on the impact Ishan Kishan had during that period. SRH faced quite a rough phase during the initial phase of the season, especially considering that the captain was not available to play during the first few matches. However, it was during that time Ishan Kishan took the charge and steered the team to safety, while the franchise tried to find their feet. Following Cummins' return, SRH slowly but surely picked up steam, and managed to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs with a series of stunning performances. Speaking on NDTV, Cummins lavished praise on Kishan's leadership and conceded he did not want to intrude while the keeper-batter was at the helm. Cummins said: "We had a few good options. He (Kishan) has had a great domestic season as captain. I got asked a question (on stand-in captaincy), and I said 'Oh, Ishan would be great, the boys love him'" Pat Cummins Explains Captaincy Decision The Australian further revealed he did not want to interfere much while Kishan was in charge of the squad. Cummins said: "He was awesome. I let him do his thing. I didn't get too involved, was there if he needed me. He knows how to captain well, so I stayed out of his way." The seamless switch back to Cummins as captain, post Kishan's stint, enabled SRH to pursue the same attacking brand of cricket that helped them dominate towards the latter half of the season. Cummins' return boosted the bowling attack significantly as well, with the Australian pacer playing a key role in imposing control in key phases. Also Read | Why is Urvil Patel wicketkeeping in place of Sanju Samson in the GT vs CSK match in Ahmedabad Cummins Lauds SRH Owners as Well Speaking of the SRH team, captain Cummins also commented on the amount of support they had received from the franchise owners following a failed campaign in 2025. Following an unsuccessful season the previous year, despite playing in the IPL 2024 finals, SRH faltered immensely through the tournament before finishing strong late. Cummins admitted that they had learned a lesson from that, and used it as motivation coming into the IPL 2026. SRH captain said: "The owners have been great. The first half of last year, I don't think we played anywhere near our potential. We won our last three or four games (last season), which showed that we were onto something with the style we wanted to play." He added: "Us at our best are right up there with any other team. We came into this season knowing that last season was as bad as we could play. Couple of new players too have bought into the aggressive style that brought us success." SRH are currently among the best teams on their way to the IPL 2026 playoffs, having produced remarkable improvements to their season this year.