Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won’t have the services of Pat Cummins in the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. SRH already knew that Cummins would not be available for the first few matches. Realising this, they’d named Ishan Kishan as the interim captain last week.
Cummins landed in India earlier today. According to ESPNcricinfo, he practised with SRH at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The fast bowler did some light sprints and bowled in an empty net at low intensity. In an ideal scenario, this should’ve been a great update for SRH.
Pat Cummins unavailable for first half of IPL 2026
But that isn’t the case. In a recent podcast by the Business of Sport, Cummins talked about his injury. The SRH captain revealed that although he’s bowling twice a week, the intensity isn’t there yet. This conversation was recorded a week back, and Cummins stated that he won’t feature in the first half of the IPL 2026 season.
“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.
The Australia Test and ODI captain had injured himself in July last year and has played just 1 match since. That return was forced and sent him back. But with the chance to retain the Ashes in the third Test itself, Cummins preponed his return. This cost him. He missed the entire T20 World Cup 2026 and will miss half of the group-stage matches in IPL 2026. Cummins plans to feature in the backend and play the playoffs, if SRH qualifies. But that is the best-case scenario.
“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.
As things stand, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn’t named the entire schedule of IPL 2026. The first 20 fixtures are revealed and it’s expected that the remaining will be announced by the end of the week.
Who will replace Cummins?
In a positive update, fast bowler Eshan Malinga has joined SRH. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the slingy pacer, who was their best bowler last IPL season, taking 13 wickets in 7 matches at an economy of 8.92. Malinga can fill the void that Cummins’ absence creates, but the question is, will it be enough? One can’t forget that Cummins is an exceptional leader as well; it’s one thing to replace him as a fast bowler, but his leadership skills are tough to match.
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