Pat Cummins will play his first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 14. The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain has missed 7 matches, recovering from a back injury sustained in July 2025.
Cummins had joined SRH before their tournament opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28. However, he wasn’t cleared to play yet. He returned home in early April and underwent further scans. Cricket Australia (CA) granted him fitness clearance, and he returned to India on April 17.
However, Cummins missed the next two matches for SRH, against the Chennai Super Kings on April 18 and the Delhi Capitals on April 21. It was clear that Cummins needed time to be match-fit. He needed to build his workload to be able to deliver in matches. Finally, it seems like he’s ready.
Pat Cummins to play RR vs SRH match
The SRH captain took to social media to virtually confirm his participation in the RR match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. “Been a long time coming, stinging to get back into it tomorrow,” Cummins wrote.
Madushanka out, Cummins in
Cummins’ return to SRH’s starting team bodes well. He’ll strengthen their opening, especially in the powerplay. However, that also means that an overseas player will have to be dropped. Dilshan Madushanka will have to warm the bench despite a good performance on his IPL debut since Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, and Eshan Malinga are basically undroppable.
Will Ishan Kishan continue as captain?
Another burning question is captaincy. In Cummins’ absence, Ishan Kishan took over. He’s done a fine job, considering that SRH lost 3 of their first 4 matches and a bowler and leader like Cummins wasn’t present. Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes Kishan has been superb tactically and doesn’t look under pressure.
Ishan Kishan, as a leader, is tactically very good in terms of how he uses his bowlers. He understands which bowlers to use against which batters. It is a clear marker of how well he controls the game. He doesn’t look flustered, is not hurried, and is taking the right calls on the field. The way he used his spinners against DC was impressive. All in all, I believe that even if Pat Cummins comes back, Ishan should continue captaining SRH,” Banger said on JioStar.
Another reason why Kishan might continue as captain is Cummins’ fitness. At the moment, we don’t know whether Cummins will be able to play the remainder of the matches. Perhaps his workload will be managed, considering he’s played just 1 match in the last 9 months. Changing captains every few games doesn’t seem like the right tactic.
We’ve also seen that Cummins isn’t an insecure player. He’s turned to Steve Smith for advice often during his captaincy tenure, especially in Test cricket, and has had no issues playing under Mitchell Marsh in T20Is. He’ll remain in the leadership group regardless, with Kishan taking the final call.
