Ambati Rayudu Says Move Away From Mumbai Indians Helped Ishan Kishan Mature as a Batter

Former India batter Ambati Rayudu believes that leaving the star-studded environment of Mumbai Indians has played a major role in the growth and maturity of Ishan Kishan, who is enjoying the best season of his IPL career with Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026.

Kishan, who spent seven seasons with Mumbai Indians before being picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the 2025 IPL auction, has been one of the standout performers this season. The left-hander currently sits fifth in the Orange Cap standings, having scored 569 runs in 14 matches at an impressive average of 40.64 and a strike rate of 178.36.

His latest match-winning knock — a fluent 79 off 46 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday — earned him the Player-of-the-Match award and marked his sixth score of 50 or more this season. Notably, Kishan had never crossed three 50-plus scores in any previous IPL season.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show, Rayudu reflected on the challenges young cricketers face while sharing dressing rooms with established superstars at franchises like Mumbai Indians.

“Growing up in a franchise like Mumbai, he wanted to be a superstar. He is a superstar in his own right now, but back then competing against all the stars around him would have been very tough,” Rayudu said.

Rayudu, who himself represented Mumbai Indians from 2009 to 2017, added that experienced players often know how to manage the mental demands of the game, something younger players struggle with initially.

“Those guys know when to switch on in terms of their game and when to switch off. But a lot of young boys don’t know how to handle that balance. That’s a big challenge, and I’m sure he has learnt it the hard way,” he added.

Rayudu also credited Kishan’s stint as captain of Jharkhand for bringing greater maturity and clarity to his batting.

“His shot selection has improved big time. Earlier, we saw him making some poor decisions, but this season he has mostly made the right calls,” Rayudu noted.

“I think captaincy for Jharkhand made him realise a lot about his own game. Sometimes leadership transforms players into better batsmen, and he is one of those who has massively improved in terms of clarity,” he said.

With Sunrisers Hyderabad pushing for a strong finish this season, Kishan’s consistency and fearless batting have emerged as one of the biggest positives for the franchise.