IPL 2026: Ishan Kishan to lead SRH in Pat Cummins' absence, Abhishek Sharma named vice-captain
Pat Cummins will miss the first few games.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will commence their journey in the Indian Premier League 2026 with the opening game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 28. The encounter will take place at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
However, SRH have suffered a major blow ahead of the opening encounter as their captain Pat Cummins will miss the initial games of the tournament. Cummins has been suffering from a back injury since July last year and has been undergoing rehabilitation for his injury.
Due to a lumbar stress fracture of the back, Cummins could only play one game in The Ashes 2025-26 last year. He also missed the T20 World Cup 2026 due to the issue. Now, SRH will miss his services at the start.
Ishan Kishan to captain SRH in initial matches of IPL 2026
Ahead of IPL 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad have announced their new captain and vice-captain, who will lead the franchise in the absence of Pat Cummins.
Star Indian batsman Ishan Kishan will captain the Sunrisers at the start in Cummins’ absence. Moreover, Abhishek Sharma will be the vice-captain for the side.
Cummins will report to the SRH camp on March 23 and will undergo rehabilitation in India with the franchise. He could miss the first three matches of the season but his return can be delayed further. He will take the reins of the side after regaining full fitness.
Cummins has been out of action since December last year due to his back injury. However, he has got clearance from Cricket Australia (CA) to play in the IPL 2026. However, he will need some more time to return to the field.
After their opening game against RCB on March 28, Sunrisers will clash with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 2. They will play their first home game on April 5 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
What injury is Pat Cummins suffering from?
Pat Cummins is suffering from a back injury.
Who will lead SRH in Cummins’ absence in the initial games of IPL 2026?
Ishan Kishan will captain SRH in the initial games of IPL 2026.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.