A training session for Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday turned briefly contentious when young spinner Zeeshan Ansari gave stand-in captain Ishan Kishan an animated send-off after dismissing him during an intra-squad practice match.
The flashpoint came in the eighth over. Kishan and Liam Livingstone were batting aggressively, and Kishan punished Ansari for 20 runs in a single over. The 26-year-old spinner eventually had the last word, getting Kishan out but did not keep things quiet about it. After the wicket, Ansari visibly reacted, gesturing at Kishan to walk off the field. The two exchanged words before Kishan headed back, seemingly unbothered, and was seen smiling as he left.
Social media picked up on the moment and some speculation about dressing room tensions followed. Given the context, it looked more like a competitive flare-up than anything deeper.
Send off to Ishan Kishan 🤯
During the intra squad match today, Zeeshan Ansari, a bowler for Sunrisers Hyderabad, was seen giving a send off to his own captain Ishan Kishan after dismissing him.
The team atmosphere doesn’t seem to be very good.
pic.twitter.com/3b75QtTh3F— Stubbsy (@spideypant_) March 21, 2026
Ansari has been in strong form lately. He took six wickets across ten matches in last season’s IPL and has claimed 21 wickets in his past eight competitive games. Kishan, meanwhile, is leading SRH for their opening fixtures while regular skipper Pat Cummins recovers from injury. Cummins is expected back around mid-April.
The incident comes days after Jharkhand assistant coach Sunny Gupta spoke about Kishan’s approach to captaincy, describing him as more serious-minded than his public image suggests and noting his focus on team discipline and a positive environment.
SRH open their IPL 2026 campaign against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.