Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma is "unhappy" at the franchise since the captaincy went to Ishan Kishan and is exploring a move ahead of the IPL 2027 season, The Times of India reported on Friday — but the franchise's chief executive has dismissed the chatter as "not true," and sources close to the player maintain nothing is happening.
What the reports say
TOI reports that informal dialogue has taken place with multiple franchises, though "nothing substantial has materialised yet." Possible destinations named in the report include the Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings; the Delhi Capitals are also mentioned as a possibility, partly because Sharma's mentor Yuvraj Singh is now part of the DC setup. Khel Now carried a similar report, saying trade talk has begun.
The captaincy backdrop
SRH handed the captaincy to Ishan Kishan during IPL 2026 when Pat Cummins missed the first half of the season, and Cummins is likely to remain unavailable in 2027. Abhishek joined the franchise in 2019 and became a regular opener in 2022, forming the team's attacking top order alongside Travis Head.
Franchises have over a month to freeze their core squads before the mini-auction in December, so any movement would need to happen in that window.
The denial
When contacted by TOI, SRH CEO K Shanmugam termed the speculation "not true." For now, the story rests on unattributed reports, countered by an on-record denial from the franchise's top executive.
Sources: IPL retentions: 'Unhappy' Abhishek Sharma wants to leave SRH but where will he go? (The Times of India) | Abhishek Sharma unhappy with SRH; MI & GT begin trade talk (Khel Now)
What the reports say
TOI reports that informal dialogue has taken place with multiple franchises, though "nothing substantial has materialised yet." Possible destinations named in the report include the Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings; the Delhi Capitals are also mentioned as a possibility, partly because Sharma's mentor Yuvraj Singh is now part of the DC setup. Khel Now carried a similar report, saying trade talk has begun.
The captaincy backdrop
SRH handed the captaincy to Ishan Kishan during IPL 2026 when Pat Cummins missed the first half of the season, and Cummins is likely to remain unavailable in 2027. Abhishek joined the franchise in 2019 and became a regular opener in 2022, forming the team's attacking top order alongside Travis Head.
Franchises have over a month to freeze their core squads before the mini-auction in December, so any movement would need to happen in that window.
The denial
When contacted by TOI, SRH CEO K Shanmugam termed the speculation "not true." For now, the story rests on unattributed reports, countered by an on-record denial from the franchise's top executive.
Sources: IPL retentions: 'Unhappy' Abhishek Sharma wants to leave SRH but where will he go? (The Times of India) | Abhishek Sharma unhappy with SRH; MI & GT begin trade talk (Khel Now)
