March 2025 - IPL Season Begins
It was IPL time again. The sun dipped lower over Hyderabad, casting a warm glow across the stadium where the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad gathered for practice. Ishan Kishan stood at the edge of the field, bat in hand, his thoughts far from the evening drills. It had been a year — a long, unforgiving year.
A year since he lost his contracts.
Fourteen months since he left South Africa, exhausted and broken from the weight of expectations.
A year of being branded a villain, a scapegoat by the BCCI, and even worse, by the fans who once chanted his name.
And yet, here he was — not for redemption, not for applause, but simply because cricket was his first and only love.
When Mumbai Indians didn’t retain him, it didn’t sting as much as he expected. Maybe he had seen it coming. But the auction in November 2024 surprised everyone. Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for ₹11.25 crore. The headlines were predictable — "Big Money for a Fallen Star."
But in the SRH camp, it wasn’t the price that defined him. They saw more. They saw a player who still had something to give. Ishan wasn’t playing for the spotlight. He didn’t crave fame. He wanted the game — just the crack of the bat, the rush of a boundary, the rhythm of the chase.
Still, the doubts lingered. His form was inconsistent in the domestic season. A flash of brilliance here, a painful collapse there. One century, then a string of low scores. Even the unofficial Test matches showed glimpses of what he could do, but nothing close to the fearlessness he once played with.
Would they bench him? The thought gnawed at him.
But at least he wasn’t alone. Abhishek Sharma, one of his closest friends, was there — the same Abhishek wevery Nitish Reddy, his younger teammate, looked up to him like an older brother. And Rahul Chahar, a familiar face, had his back. In a way, it was comforting.
Intra-Squad Matches
The practice games had brought a temporary sense of relief. Ishan found his rhythm in those small, meaningless matches. No crowd. No scrutiny. Just cricket.
Saturday:
64 (23)
70 (30)
Tuesday:
49 (19)
64 (33)
He could feel it — the familiar rush when the ball met the sweet spot of his bat. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something. Enough to remind himself of the joy cricket once brought him. Abhishek had teased him endlessly after the last match, laughter echoing across the field.
"Trying to prove a point, huh?" Abhishek had grinned, clapping Ishan on the back.
"Nah," Ishan smirked. "Just trying to remember why I love this game."
But even as he laughed along, the questions remained. He wasn’t sure where he would play. Travis Head and Abhishek were their explosive opening pair. No one was touching that. No. 3 or No. 4? It had been ages since he played at No. 4 — not since his last stint with Mumbai Indians. No. 3? His last international match, a T20I, flashed through his mind. It wasn’t a fond memory.
He didn't know his place.
The Captain's Approach
It was late evening when Pat Cummins arrived from Australia. The captain’s presence was hard to miss — tall, composed, a natural leader. But as he crossed the field, it wasn’t authority Ishan saw in his eyes. It was understanding.
Pat knew.
Abhishek had told him Ishan’s story. The fatigue. The labels. The loss of love for the game.
"Hey," Pat said, his voice steady as he stood next to Ishan. "Heard you’ve been smashing it in practice."
Ishan shrugged. "Intra-squad matches don’t mean much. I’m still impatient. Not consistent. The usual."
"You? Not consistent? You’re the fastest double centurion in ODIs, mate," Pat smiled, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
Ishan’s jaw clenched. That record — the one thing people refused to forget. A feat that should’ve been a source of pride had instead become a weapon against him. "A fluke one," Ishan muttered.
"Was it?" Pat asked simply. "Or was it you, playing free, without the noise?"
Ishan didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure what to say. Pat didn’t push. He just stood there for a moment, the evening breeze swirling around them.
"First match on Sunday," Pat reminded him. "Against Rajasthan Royals. You’ll know soon enough where you stand."
Sunday. Five days away.
Ishan nodded, the uncertainty still there, but a spark of something else lingered — curiosity, maybe even a sliver of hope.
Pat patted his shoulder before walking away.
And for the first time in a while, Ishan didn't feel like a villain. He just felt like a cricketer.
..
Hello everyone,
I wanted to let you know that I'm starting to work on this book again. I'll be reopening it and making progress, although it might not be every day. I'll do my best to keep moving forward, even if it's just a little bit at a time."
