The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are in a great spot. After an early wobble, the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions have managed to get back on their feet. Two uncapped Indians, Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge, bagged four-wicket hauls on their IPL debut against table-toppers Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Pat Cummins’ IPL 2026 comeback date
All of a sudden, their bowling doesn’t look the weakest anymore. In fact, they’ve achieved great balance. But it only gets better from here. SRH captain Pat Cummins is expected to play his first IPL 2026 match on April 18 against the Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Although Cummins’ initial comments suggested that he would miss around 7-8 matches, reports hinted that he would miss just 5. Cummins had joined SRH on March 27, a day before they commenced their IPL 2026 campaign against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
However, he returned home to report to Cricket Australia (CA). For the last two weeks, he’s been working on his fitness. And the D-day is here. On April 15, Cummins will undergo a fitness test, which will decide whether he joins SRH or not. All things signal towards him passing the assessment and reaching Hyderabad on April 17.
“Hopefully, he (Cummins) will clear the test and get the NOC from Cricket Australia,” a source told Cricbuzz.
Cricket Australia’s final decision awaits
However, one mustn’t forget that CA has been extremely cautious with their players when it comes to bowling fitness. Cummins hasn’t played a game yet. Mitchell Starc hasn’t been granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC), and his Delhi Capitals joining date isn’t close at the moment. Starc is confirmed to miss at least 5 matches for Delhi.
Cameron Green wasn’t permitted to bowl for the Kolkata Knight Riders until April 9, by which time they’d already lost 2 of their 3 matches. Punjab Kings all-rounder Cooper Connolly has been granted permission to play only as a batter, despite him showing serious bowling chops in the Big Bash League.
If CA believes that Cummins isn’t ready for competitive cricket, they won’t just grant him an NOC. One can’t forget that he’s much more important to Australia as their Test and ODI captain than he is to SRH. CA will put their interest over the IPL franchise and even Cummins’ desire to play for Hyderabad.
