New Delhi: Ishan Kishan spoke about an emotional family tragedy that carried him through his match-winning spell as Sunrisers Hyderabad sealed their IPL 2026 playoff berth with a five-wicket win. Chennai Super Kings Monday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.Kishan’s 47-ball 70 chased down SRH’s 181, but after the game, the left-hander said the innings meant more than just qualification. Her cousin, recently dealing with a family bereavement, was watching — and Kishan said that became her motivation.“Sometimes I think it’s about motivation as well, and for me, my motivation today was, my cousin just stood there. He lost his sister. It was a tough time in our family and he’s here watching the match for the first time,” Kishan said.“So I just wanted to finish the game for them. I’m glad they were here to witness that innings, and I was able to finish the game.”An innings based on patienceKishan said the challenge at Chepauk was also evident when he was behind the stumps, whose surface offered enough grip and variable bounce to make chasing difficult.He said that when I was keeping the wicket, I realized that this wicket is not easy. I still felt that chasing that total would be a bit too much as the wicket was not easy at all, especially when the spinners were bowling and those slow balls were working so well.Batting at No. 3, Kishan knew his role was to stay till the end.“My job was just to try and finish the game because when the batsmen come in, especially at the back end, it’s difficult for them to take singles and get boundaries. So I just had to play till the last over.”His 75-run partnership with Henrik Klaasen turned the chase around. Still, Kishan said there was no grand strategy discussion between them.“There was to be no negotiation. Both of us were just playing our shots.‘I felt empowered’What stayed with Kishan was a feeling he couldn’t quite describe.“I was just feeling blessed from above. I had that feeling of power, like, yeah, if I’m for the team, I can do it. We’ll qualify and, especially, they’ll be happy about it.”SRH captain Pat Cummins praised Kishan and Klaasen for reading the conditions well, describing the pitch as “very difficult” and saying that both “picked their match-ups and played some funny shots.”The win not only maintained SRH’s momentum but also qualified with Gujarat Titans. For Kishan, though, Chepak’s night was deeply personal – a knock for family, grief and healing, wrapped up in one of SRH’s most important wins of the season.
