NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) retentions and releases discussions are underway across franchises as the deadline approaches, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma emerging as the biggest talking point. With the franchise keen to hand the captaincy to Ishan Kishan, and Pat Cummins likely to remain unavailable due to an intense international calendar in 2027, the belligerent opener is understood to be exploring a new home as early as the upcoming season.TimesofIndia.com can confirm that there has been informal dialogue with multiple franchises, but nothing substantial has materialised yet. Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Titans (GT) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) are the teams being mentioned as potential destinations, but a well-placed industry source asserts that it’s a tricky situation for all the parties involved.“It’s not a secret anymore that Abhishek Sharma is unhappy at SRH since the captaincy went to Ishan Kishan. He has been with the franchise for a long time and clearly had captaincy ambitions. Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, and Punjab Kings were being explored as potential destinations, and we can’t rule out Delhi Capitals either, since his mentor Yuvraj Singh is part of the set-up now,” explains the source.This website reached out to SRH CEO K Shanmugam for comment, and he termed the chatter as “not true”.It is further learnt that the situation has been tense since the franchise’s decision to hand the captaincy to Kishan last season. It may not be a surprise if he even settles for a non-captaincy role, as the immediate priority appears to be exiting the SRH camp, a team he joined in 2019.“There are not many captaincy opportunities right now. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are two options, but most other teams appear sorted. So even if SRH and Abhishek agree to part ways, the big question remains: where to? And how will SRH position itself even if they agree? A cash deal? Player trade? Lots of factors,” adds the source.Abhishek remains the hottest property in the T20 circuit at the moment, and the World No. 2 batter will continue attracting a lot of attention in the coming weeks. While sources close to the player have maintained that “nothing is happening”, the IPL ecosystem is keeping a keen eye on the developments in the SRH camp.Many factors must align for such a move to happen, and it remains to be seen whether SRH can convince one of their MVPs to stay. The move could well be delayed, but as things stand, the future of the two parties doesn’t look too bright. All franchises have over a month to freeze their core before the mini-auction in December.
