Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 13: Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that Ishan Kishan has a golden opportunity to revive his career in IPL 2025 after being picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the mega auction.

Expressing surprise at Kishan’s absence from the national selectors’ radar, Chopra questioned why the talented wicketkeeper-batter has been sidelined despite his impressive performances.

"For whatever reason, he has completely disappeared from the radar. It seems like no one is talking about him or understanding his importance. He even played in the Ranji Trophy and scored runs there, he is doing everything, but no one is even talking about him," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Kishan, who was released by Mumbai Indians (MI), was snapped up by SRH for ?11.25 crore in the IPL auction last November. However, his role in the playing XI remains uncertain, given that SRH already boasts a formidable opening pair in Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head—two of the most destructive openers from the last season. This could see Kishan taking up the No. 3 slot, a position he has played before but is not his most natural role.

Despite smashing a record-breaking ODI double century (210 off 131 balls) against Bangladesh in December 2022, Kishan was dropped from the Indian playing XI in favor of Shubman Gill. Since then, he has struggled to find a place in the squad across all formats, losing out to Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Sanju Samson in the wicketkeeper-batter pecking order. Adding to his woes, he also lost his BCCI central contract last year.

Chopra believes that a strong IPL season could put Kishan back in contention for a spot in the national team. "You can come in reckoning once again. A keeper-batter who can open or bat in the top order, that is beautiful. Gautam (Gambhir) is anyway saying that they are all bogeys in a train; everyone has to go to the same destination, and it doesn’t make a difference whether a bogey is in front or at the back. That basically means batting order does not exist in Indian cricket anymore," Chopra remarked.

With a fresh start at SRH and a crucial IPL season ahead, all eyes will be on Kishan to see if he can make a statement and reclaim his place in Indian cricket.