Australia Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins has provided an update on his availability to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 edition. The right-arm pacer who is the regular captain of the franchise in the cash-rich league has said that he is still recovering from the back injury but aims at making a comeback to the side in the second half. The BCCI has only released the IPL 2026 schedule till April 12.
“I’m still recovering from a back injury, but it’s good. I’m back bowling in the nets,” Cummins said on the Business of Sport podcast in an episode recorded late last week. “The IPL is starting soon. I won’t make the start of that, but it shouldn’t be too long before I’m back out there playing.”
“I’m back bowling. I’m bowling basically every third day at the moment. We’ve mapped out a plan to get me right by (the) middle of the tournament, so hopefully, if nothing goes wrong, (I’ll) play the back half plus the finals,” he added.
Who Leads SRH in Cummins’ Absence?
India and SRH wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan will be leading the side in Pat Cummins’ absence in the initial phase of the tournament while Abhishek Sharma will be his deputy, the franchise announced earlier. Fresh from some brilliant performance in the T20 World Cup 2026, both Ishan and Abhishek would look to continue the purple patch when they take the field for the Sunrisers in the next season of the IPL slated to begin on March 28 in Bengaluru.
SRH have Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga and David Payne as the three overseas fast bowling options but the three don’t really have much experience when it comes to IPL. The onus to lead the pace attack would be on Jaydev Unadkat who has played enough cricket at the domestic and IPL level. Harshal Patel would be another Indian medium pacer who will have to step up and provide support to Unadkat.
Harshal has been known to deceive batters with his slower ones and will play a crucial role in the bowling department especially with the regular skipper set to miss the first half.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Schedule
The Sunrisers Hyderabad will commence the tournament against Royal Challengers Bengaluru away from home on March 28. This will also mark the beginning of the new season of the Indian Premier League. The Orange Army will then travel to Eden Gardens to lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2 before returning back home to host Lucknow Super Giants on April 5. The Sunrisers will play their final match in phase one against Punjab Kings on April 11.
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