IPL 2026: Why did Pat Cummins leave SRH camp & return home?
(Courtesy : BCCI/IPL)
Pat Cummins did not play in SRH’s first two games in IPL 2026.
Pat Cummins is the designated captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League 2026. However, he has been out of the field due to a recovery from a back injury. He joined the SRH camp ahead of IPL 2026 but missed both the opening games.
Ishan Kishan is the stand-in captain of SRH at the start. Notably, Cummins suffered a back stress injury last year in July during the West Indies tour. He has been recovering from the injury since then.
He returned to the field in The Ashes 2025-26 in December last year. However, he was ruled out after playing one game as his injury resurfaced. He was also ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in February and March.
Pat Cummins flies back to Australia for final scan
According to a report by ESPN Cricinfo, Cummins has flown back to Australia for a final scan of his injured back. It is conducted by Cricket Australia (CA).
If he is found fit after the scan, he will be cleared by CA to return to India and will likely join the squad on April 17 to participate in IPL 2026. Cummins departed for Australia on Thursday.
Earlier, Cummins had mentioned that he would play in the back half of the tournament and the playoffs. He had been bowling during the training sessions since joining the squad before their first game of the tournament.
Meanwhile, SRH have played two games in IPL 2026 so far. They lost the tournament opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets.
They made a comeback in the second game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), defeating them by 65 runs. SRH will next play against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, April 5.
Why did Pat Cummins fly back to Australia?
Cummins has flown back to Australia for a final scan of his injured back.
What injury is Cummins suffering from?
He is recovering from a back injury.
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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.