Abhishek Sharma wants to leave Sunrisers Hyderabad before IPL 2027, according to a Times of India report on 2 October. The report links it to SRH’s plan to make Ishan Kishan full-time captain.
SRH chief executive K Shanmugam called the reports “not true.” According to the report, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings have been explored as destinations. Delhi Capitals have not been ruled out, because his mentor Yuvraj Singh is now part of their set-up.
“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.”
Source quoted by The Times of India, 2 October 2026
🚨 REPORTS 🚨
Abhishek Sharma is reportedly unhappy and wants to leave Sunrisers Hyderabad as he was not offered the captaincy during the first half of IPL 2026.
Informal talks have reportedly begun with Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans.
However, Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO says… pic.twitter.com/cbaRmhek5b
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) October 2, 2026
The teams named in the report tell one story, and the captaincy market tells another. That gap is where this starts to look less like an exit plan and more like a negotiation.
The captaincy question began on 18 March 2026, when Pat Cummins was ruled out of the early games of IPL 2026 with a back injury. SRH named Kishan captain and Abhishek Sharma vice-captain.
“Pat Cummins will miss a few games while recovering from injury. Until he recovers, Ishan Kishan will be the Captain and Abhishek Sharma will be the Vice-Captain.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad, official announcement, 18 March 2026
Kishan led the first seven matches before Cummins returned. SRH finished third with nine wins from 14 games and lost the Eliminator to Rajasthan Royals.
For 2027, the report says SRH will make Kishan full-time captain because of Cummins’ international commitments, with Abhishek staying as vice-captain. What was announced in March as “until he recovers” is now set to become permanent.
According to the same source, only two franchises need a captain right now: Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants. LSG’s opening came after they traded Rishabh Pant to Delhi Capitals for ₹15 crore, and KKR’s search has already been linked with Hardik Pandya.
None of the three teams named first in the report is on that list. The source admitted the problem too: if SRH and Abhishek agree to part ways, where does he go?
Insider Read
A vice-captain under a stand-in captain expects to be next in line. When the stand-in is made the permanent boss instead, it hurts a senior player’s pride. The dressing room reads it the way he does: the franchise sees him as a hitter, not a leader.
But if captaincy were the only issue, MI, GT and PBKS would make no sense, because none of them has the job to offer. A story like this surfacing a month before retentions is a classic pressure game. It strengthens his hand in pushing SRH for a bigger leadership role without him saying a word in public.
What SRH Stand to Lose Before the Retention Freeze
| Abhishek at SRH | |
|---|---|
| With the franchise since | 2019 |
| Regular opener since | 2022 |
| Retention price | ₹14 crore |
| IPL 2026 runs | 563 at 40.21 |
| IPL 2026 hundreds | 1, against Delhi Capitals |
| Milestone | First Indian to 100 sixes for SRH |
The retention freeze is a little over a month away, and the mini-auction follows in December. Until then, the CEO’s denial is SRH’s only official word.
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