Ishan Kishan Brushed Aside In SRH Dressing Room, Other Players Roll On The Floor
The Hilarious Dressing Room Confusions in IPL 2026
The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) camp is buzzing with energy, but it is not just their explosive on-field performances making the headlines. Following a dominant victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, a highly amusing incident took place behind closed doors. In a moment of light-hearted confusion, star batter Ishan Kishan found himself at the center of a hilarious dressing room mix-up that left his teammates in splits.
Abhishek Sharma Ishan Kishan for SRH. Image Credits: AFP/AP
The Backstory: SRH’s Mammoth Total Against RCB
On May 22, the Uppal Stadium witnessed an absolute run-fest as Sunrisers Hyderabad took on Royal Challengers Bangalore in a crucial IPL 2026 league stage match. SRH, known for their aggressive batting blueprint, came out all guns blazing. They put up a massive total of 255 runs on the board, leaving the RCB bowlers searching for answers.
Among the chief architects of this towering total was Ishan Kishan. The left-handed dynamic batter played a blistering knock, smashing 79 runs off just 46 deliveries. His innings was filled with explosive strokes, showcasing his immaculate timing and power-hitting capabilities. Alongside Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen also registered crucial half-centuries, while Travis Head and Nitish Reddy made significant contributions to put Hyderabad in a winning position.
In response, RCB’s chase looked listless for the most part. Despite some late resistance, they could only manage 200 runs in their allotted 20 overs. SRH secured a comfortable 55-run victory, ending their IPL 2026 league stage campaign on a high note.
The Dressing Room Drama: Ishan Kishan’s Awkward Moment
While the victory was satisfying, the real drama unfolded during the post-match dressing room celebrations. As is tradition within the SRH camp, the coaching and support staff gathered the squad to hand out the “Best Performer” award for the game.
Given his explosive 79-run knock, Ishan Kishan was extremely confident that he would walk away with the prize. He waited eagerly as the coaching staff prepared to announce the winner. When a member of the support staff spoke into the room and uttered the name “Ishan,” Kishan immediately stood up from his seat, fully expecting to receive the accolade.
However, the reality of the situation turned out to be far more embarrassing for the Indian wicketkeeper-batter. The coaching staff had not actually called out “Ishan.” Instead, they had announced “Eshan Malinga.” Due to the strikingly similar pronunciation of the two first names, Kishan had completely misheard the announcement.
Realizing his mistake, Kishan was left standing with an embarrassed smile on his face. He quickly sat back down, trying to hide his face in his hands as the realization of the mix-up set in. The entire Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room immediately burst into fits of laughter, enjoying the wholesome and comical moment. It was a classic ice-breaker that highlighted the brilliant camaraderie within the squad.
Why Eshan Malinga Deserved the Best Performer Award
While Ishan Kishan’s contribution with the bat was undeniable, Eshan Malinga had delivered a vital spell that turned the game in SRH’s favor. Bowling against a dangerous RCB batting lineup, Malinga kept his composure and picked up two crucial wickets, dismissing Venkatesh Iyer and Devdutt Padikkal.
Malinga finished his four-over quota conceding just 33 runs, an exceptional effort on a batting-friendly Uppal track where over 450 runs were scored across both innings. His disciplined bowling ensured RCB could never get ahead of the required run rate, making him a worthy recipient of the dressing room award.
RCB’s Playoff Calculations and the Match Wrap-Up
Despite being outplayed by SRH, RCB had their own milestones to play for during the chase. Once the target of 256 became mathematically out of reach, RCB focused on minimizing the damage to their net NRR. Specifically, they needed to score at least 160 runs to finish in the top two of the points table standings.
Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya stitched together a crucial 84-run partnership to stabilize the innings and prevent a batting collapse. Thanks to their efforts, RCB reached a final score of 200/4. Although they lost the match by 55 runs, they achieved their primary objective of finishing in the top two.
With this result, Sunrisers Hyderabad finished the league stage in the third position. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans (GT) are set to lock horns in the highly anticipated Qualifier 1.
Ishan Kishan’s Broader Impact on SRH’s Campaign
While dressing room awards are fantastic for building team morale, a single post-match accolade does not define a player’s season. Ishan Kishan has been an absolute pillar of strength for Sunrisers Hyderabad throughout the IPL 2026 campaign.
Over the course of 14 league matches, Kishan has amassed an impressive 569 runs at an outstanding average of 40.64, including six half-centuries. His role has not been limited to batting alone; Kishan also showed his leadership qualities by captaining the franchise during a crucial juncture of the tournament when regular captain Pat Cummins was unavailable.
Although he missed out on the dressing room award due to a hilarious name mix-up, Kishan’s massive contributions continue to make him one of the most valuable assets for SRH as they head into the playoffs.
Shaan Cooper is a cricket journalist and SEO content writer from Bengaluru who focuses on breaking cricket news, live match coverage, and player performance stories. Her writing style combines fast-paced reporting with detailed cricket knowledge tailored for digital sports platforms.
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