Ishan Kishan Biography: India’s Comeback Wicketkeeper-Batter

November 13, 2026

Daniel Reed

Ishan Kishan biography: Ishan Kishan is an Indian cricketer — a left-handed wicketkeeper-batter — who holds the record for the fastest double century in one-day international cricket and fought his way back into the Indian team in 2026 after two years out of contention. Born in Patna on 18 July 1998, he went from captaining India at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup to a starring role in India’s 2026 T20 World Cup triumph.

Quick facts

Full name: Ishan Pranav Kumar Pandey Kishan
Born: 18 July 1998, Patna, Bihar, India
Nationality: Indian
Occupation: Cricketer — wicketkeeper-batter
Known for: Fastest ODI double century (200 off 126 balls, 2022); 2026 T20 World Cup winner
Domestic team: Jharkhand (since 2013–14)
IPL team: Sunrisers Hyderabad (since 2025); Mumbai Indians (2018–2024)
International debuts: T20I 14 March 2021; ODI 18 July 2021; Test 12 July 2023

Early life and domestic career

Ishan Pranav Kumar Pandey Kishan was born on 18 July 1998 in Patna, Bihar. His father, Pranav Kumar Pandey, is a builder and construction businessman, and his mother, Suchitra Singh, is a homemaker; his elder brother Raj Kishan also plays cricket. Kishan began playing for Jharkhand in the 2013–14 season, making his first-class debut at 16 in the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy, after moving his cricketing base from Bihar because of registration issues with the Bihar Cricket Association.

He first came to national attention as captain of India at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, where India finished as runners-up. A hard-hitting left-handed opener who also keeps wicket, he was a consistent run-scorer in domestic white-ball cricket for Jharkhand, and he still captains the state side.

International debuts and the record double century

Kishan’s international debuts all came with a fifty. He made his T20I debut against England at Ahmedabad on 14 March 2021, scoring 56 off 32 balls and winning Player of the Match. His ODI debut followed on 18 July 2021 — his 23rd birthday — against Sri Lanka in Colombo, where he made 59 off 42 balls, becoming the first Indian to score fifties on both his T20I and ODI debuts. His Test debut came on 12 July 2023 against West Indies at Roseau, Dominica, where he earned cap number 307.

His defining innings arrived on 10 December 2022, in the third ODI against Bangladesh at Chattogram. Opening the batting, Kishan reached his double century off just 126 balls — the fastest in ODI history, beating Chris Gayle’s 138-ball mark — and finished with 210 off 131 balls, including 24 fours and 10 sixes. At 24 years and 145 days he was the youngest player to score an ODI double century, the fourth Indian to do so after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma, and the first to convert a maiden ODI hundred into a double ton.

Kishan was part of India’s squad at the 2023 ODI World Cup, playing two matches as stand-in for Shubman Gill — a duck against Australia and 47 against Afghanistan — as India finished runners-up.

Exile and comeback

Kishan’s career stalled at the end of 2023. He withdrew from India’s tour of South Africa in December 2023, citing mental fatigue, played his last India match in November 2023 — a T20I against Australia in Guwahati — and then skipped Ranji Trophy cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) dropped him from its central contracts in early 2024.

He rebuilt his case in domestic cricket. In the 2025–26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy he captained Jharkhand to their maiden title and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 517 runs in 10 innings at an average of 57.44 and a strike rate of 197.32, including 101 off 49 balls in the final against Haryana. In June 2025 he also played county cricket for Nottinghamshire, scoring 87 off 98 balls on debut against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge.

The recall came in the home T20I series against New Zealand in January 2026, where he scored 215 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 231.18, including a maiden T20I hundred — 103 off 43 balls at Thiruvananthapuram. He then played a central role in India’s 2026 T20 World Cup win in India and Sri Lanka, finishing as India’s second-highest scorer with 317 runs in nine matches, including three fifties and 54 off 25 balls in the final against New Zealand at Ahmedabad on 8 March 2026, which India won by 96 runs. By 3 October 2026 he had scored 1,005 T20I runs in the calendar year, only the second Indian to reach 1,000 T20I runs in a year after Suryakumar Yadav in 2022.

IPL career

Kishan’s Indian Premier League career began with Gujarat Lions in 2016–17. Mumbai Indians bought him in 2018 and he spent seven seasons with them, including the 2022–24 cycle on a ₹15.25 crore annual contract. Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for ₹11.25 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, and he marked his debut with a maiden IPL century — 106 not out off 47 balls against Rajasthan Royals on 23 March 2025 — finishing the season with 354 runs in 14 matches.

In IPL 2026 he stood in as Sunrisers captain while Pat Cummins was injured and missed the first half of the season, scoring 602 runs in 15 matches at an average of 40.13 and a strike rate of 182.42, with six fifties and a highest score of 91.

The 4th ODI against New Zealand — and the search spike

Kishan was back in the headlines on 13 November 2026, when searches for his name surged past 50,000 in India — up more than 1,000% — during the fourth ODI against New Zealand at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. New Zealand posted 333 all out, led by Will Young’s 125, and then bowled India out for 89 in 26.4 overs to win by 244 runs, with Matt Henry taking 6 for 27. Kishan, keeping wicket in KL Rahul’s absence and vice-captain for the final two ODIs, top-scored for India with 27 off 53 balls — the only Indian to pass 25 — before being bowled by Henry. India still led the series 2–1, with the decider scheduled for 15 November at the same venue.

Personal life

Kishan keeps his private life largely out of public view. He is unmarried as of 2026. Reports linking him romantically to model Aditi Hundia have never been confirmed by either party and are not treated as fact here. In January 2026 he launched his own player-management agency, having previously been represented by RISE Worldwide.

Net worth snapshot

As of November 2026, Ishan Kishan’s net worth is estimated at roughly ₹60–70 crore (about $7–8 million), based on published 2025–26 estimates. No Forbes, Bloomberg or Hurun figure exists for him. The money comes mainly from IPL salaries — ₹11.25 crore a year at Sunrisers Hyderabad, after three seasons at ₹15.25 crore a year with Mumbai Indians — plus BCCI match fees and endorsement deals.

Frequently asked questions

How old is Ishan Kishan?

Ishan Kishan was born on 18 July 1998 in Patna, Bihar, making him 28 years old as of November 2026.

What is Ishan Kishan’s fastest ODI double century?

On 10 December 2022 against Bangladesh at Chattogram, Kishan scored 210 off 131 balls, reaching his double century in 126 balls — the fastest in ODI history. He was the youngest player to score an ODI double century, at 24 years and 145 days.

Why was Ishan Kishan out of the Indian team?

He withdrew from the South Africa tour in December 2023 citing mental fatigue, then skipped Ranji Trophy cricket, and the BCCI dropped him from its central contracts in early 2024. He earned a recall through domestic form, captaining Jharkhand to the 2025–26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title as the tournament’s top scorer.

What happened in the 4th ODI against New Zealand on 13 November 2026?

New Zealand bowled India out for 89 and won by 244 runs at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. Kishan top-scored for India with 27 off 53 balls. India still led the five-match series 2–1.

Which IPL team does Ishan Kishan play for?

Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2025, who bought him for ₹11.25 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. He previously played for Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2024 and Gujarat Lions in 2016–17.