India’s explosive T20I opener Abhishek Sharma is unhappy with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) management and is exploring options to move to a new franchise ahead of the upcoming IPL 2027 retention deadline, TOI reported on Friday (October 2).
According to the report, the friction between Abhishek and the franchise stems from captaincy ambitions. With regular skipper Pat Cummins expected to be unavailable for parts of the 2027 season due to a heavy international calendar, the SRH management has shown a preference for handing the captaincy armband to wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan.
Abhishek, who has been a loyal member of the franchise since 2019, is reportedly disappointed at being overlooked for the leadership role. His mentor and former India all-rounder, Yuvraj Singh, has also previously criticized the management for passing over the southpaw for the stand-in captaincy in IPL 2026.
Informal dialogues have reportedly taken place with several teams, including Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Titans (GT), and Punjab Kings (PBKS). Delhi Capitals (DC) are also considered a potential landing spot due to Yuvraj’s presence in their setup.
"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 publication quoted a source as saying.
When reached out for confirmation regarding the rift, SRH CEO K Shanmugam firmly denied the reports, dismissing the chatter as "not true."
The report further claimed that Abhishek Sharma is willing to join a new team even in a non-captaincy capacity, prioritizing a fresh start away from Hyderabad.
"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," the source added.
(With TOI Inpus)
