Pat Cummins announces his IPL 2026 COMEBACK; to play THIS game as Ishan Kishan set to face leadership snub
(Courtesy : BCCI/IPL)
Pat Cummins is the designated captain of SRH in IPL 2026.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are gearing up for their next game of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, where they will clash with Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The encounter will take place on April 25 (Saturday).
Pat Cummins is the designated captain of SRH, but they have missed his services from the start. Due to a back injury, the Australian pacer was ruled out of the initial phase with Ishan Kishan being named as the captain in his absence.
Cummins suffered a lumbar stress injury in July last year in an away series against the West Indies. He has been recovering from the injury since then. He made a brief comeback in the 2025-26 Ashes in December; however, he could only play one game before being ruled out as his injury resurfaced.
Due to his injury, he also missed the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He joined the SRH camp ahead of IPL 2026 but did not play in the initial games. He recently travelled to Australia for a final test of his back injury.
Last week, he cleared the test and received the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Cricket Australia (CA) to play in the IPL. He rejoined SRH camp a few days ago and underwent training. Now, he is set to play in the tournament.
Pat Cummins set to play in RR vs SRH clash
SRH have a piece of good news as Cummins is set to feature in the upcoming clash against RR. The Australian pacer confirmed the development through his social media post, with the caption: “Been a long time coming, stinging to get back into it tomorrow.” With Cummins coming back, he is also likely to take the leadership duties from Kishan.
The Ishan Kishan & Co. have played seven games so far, winning four matches and losing three games. They have eight points in their kitty and are placed in the fourth spot in the points table. It remains to be seen how change in captaincy will work for SRH in mid season.
When will Pat Cummins play for SRH in IPL 2026?
Cummins is set to play for SRH in the upcoming clash against Rajasthan Royals on April 25.
Who has led SRH in IPL 2026 in Cummins’ absence?
Ishan Kishan has led SRH in IPL 2026 in Pat Cummins’ absence.
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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.