Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has expressed disappointment over Sunrisers Hyderabad’s recent leadership call, expressing surprise that Abhishek Sharma was not handed captaincy despite his long-standing association with the franchise. SRH recently turned to Ishan Kishan as a temporary captain after Pat Cummins was ruled out due to injury. While Abhishek was named vice-captain. 

However, the decision to overlook Abhishek for the top role did not settle well with Yuvraj Singh, who has played a mentoring role in Abhishek’s career. Abhishek has grown within the SRH setup and was instrumental in their journey to the 2024 IPL final.

However, the franchise opted for Kishan, who recently led Jharkhand to the maiden title win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, along with a strong showing in the T20 World Cup. 

"I was a bit disappointed. I also love Ishan Kishan. I have seen his growth in Indian cricket as well. If I give you an example from a player's perspective: Abhishek Sharma came into the team before the World Cup, his state team won, he scored a hundred, then he played in the World Cup, scored runs, India won, and then they made him captain. In franchise cricket, if a player has been with one team for seven years, giving his heart and soul, captaining his state, and then doesn't get the leadership role, what frame of mind will he play with? But the good thing is that he has a good relationship with Ishan," Yuvraj said on SportsTak podcast.

Drawing from his own experiences, Yuvraj, reflecting on his time in the Indian dressing room, recalled the surprising decision to appoint MS Dhoni as captain for the 2007 T20 World Cup, even though he wasn’t part of the established leadership group at the time.

"For example, when I was in the Indian team, Bhajji and Sehwag were senior, and I was the vice-captain. This was around 2007. But out of nowhere, MS Dhoni became captain, whatever the reasons were. When MS was made captain, it was like someone was destined to lead and do great things for India. That is going to happen. But from a player's perspective, it is disappointing when someone has done so much for a team over many years," Yuvraj added.

Overall, Ishan Kishan has featured in 121 IPL matches, amassing 3092 runs. He has 18 half-centuries and one century. On the other hand, Abhishek Sharma has had 79 IPL matches under his belt, piling up 1871 runs.