3 reasons why SRH signing Ishan Kishan at IPL 2025 auction is the wrong move

The swashbuckling keeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been snapped by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. The Hyderabad-based franchise shelled out INR 11.25 crore to secure the services of Kishan.

Kishan had been representing the Mumbai Indians since the 2018 season. During his presence, the side went on to lift the titles in 2019 and 2020 editions. The 2024 season saw him score 320 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 148.83.

MI chose to release him ahead and he entered the auction at a base price of INR 2 crore. Although, Mumbai opened the bidding for him, numerous franchises expressed an interest in him, and SRH were able to fetch him in a tough bidding war.

However, Kishan does not seem to be fitting right in the SRH setup, given the team's retentions and combinations. Let's take a look at a few reasons why Kishan's induction is a wrong move for the Sunrisers.

---

#1 SRH already have an established opening pair

The last season saw Sunrisers Hyderabad wreaking havoc with their powerplay batting. The opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head were sensational with their performances to give flying start to the franchise on most occasions.

Head's century helped SRH post the highest-ever total of 287 in the cash-rich league. Meanwhile, the duo chased down the 166-run total within 9.4 overs against Lucknow Super Giants, which was the fastest 150+ run chase in IPL history. With such dominating performance, they were rightfully retained by SRH for IPL 2025.

The presence of Head and Sharma at the top will prevent Ishan Kishan from opening the innings for SRH. Despite holding an average of 34 and a strike rate of around 142, the left-hander's services might not prove to be worth it for the franchise.

---

#2 Dismal batting average at No. 3 in IPL

Historically, Ishan Kishan has batted at No. 3 on 11 occasions. In these appearances, the southpaw has garnered 216 runs at a disappointing average of 19.64 and a strike rate of 120. Meanwhile, he has a mediocre average of around 29 at No. 4.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to bat at No.4 and Heinrich Klaasen could come in at No. 5. Hence, Kishan may well have to sacrifice his favored opening position and bat at the position, where he isn't comfortable.

---

#3 Too many batters of a similar style

With Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, both being left-handers, SRH would look to avoid slotting another southpaw at No. 3. However, with Kishan's limited exposure to batting in the middle-order, the team management would have no option but to send him at No. 3.

This would also mean that all three batters would be dashers, who play with a 'See the ball, hit the ball' mindset. The sensible batting approach would be missing from the top-order of SRH in IPL 2025. The move could hurt SRH's chances, in case of a bad start in any of the games.