Why will Pat Cummins play from back half of IPL 2026 despite joining SRH squad?
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Pat Cummins has joined the SRH camp but will miss the first half of IPL 2026.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will clash with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening game of the Indian Premier League 2026. The encounter will be played on March 28 at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
SRH will miss the services of their captain, Pat Cummins, at the start of the tournament. The right-arm pacer has joined the SRH squad but is set to miss the first half.
Therefore, the IPL 2016 champions have appointed Ishan Kishan as the interim captain. Moreover, Abhishek Sharma has been named as the vice-captain. Cummins’ absence will be a big blow to SRH’s fast bowling unit.
Pat Cummins is still recovering from his back injury
Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, the SRH captain stated that he is still recovering from his back injury and will need time to be completely fit. He also added that he will feature in the second half of IPL 2026.
“I’m still recovering from a back injury, but it’s good. I’m back bowling in the nets. 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,” Cummins said.
“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.
Notably, Cummins has been recovering from a lumbar stress back injury since July last year. He made a short comeback in the third test of The Ashes 2025-26 in December. However, he was ruled out after playing one game. Due to the injury, he also missed the T20 World Cup 2026.
Meanwhile, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, and David Payne are a few other pacers in the SRH squad.
Recently, injured Jack Edwards was replaced by David Payne. Malinga acquired a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), and his participation will be a big boost for the side.
Why will Pat Cummins not play in the first half of IPL 2026?
Pat Cummins will not play in the first half of IPL 2026 due to a back injury.
Who will lead SRH in Pat Cummins’ absence?
Ishan Kishan will lead the team in 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.