Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has been slated to miss the opening half of the 2026 Indian Premier League, as he is still recovering from a lower back stress issue.
In his absence, the Sunrisers have not fared well, winning just one of the three games they have played. Questions have been raised over their bowling lineup, as SRH have looked toothless and devoid of ideas, clearly missing the experience and leadership of the Aussie quick.
Meanwhile, a recent video uploaded by UNICEF Australia
on Instagram showed Cummins playing cricket in a playground. Within moments, the comments section was flooded with fans urging Cummins to return for the Orange Army.
"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. 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,” Cummins had said in the Business of Sport podcast ahead of the start of the season.
Cummins, who is the skipper of the Australian Test team, played just one game in the 2025-26 Ashes, which Australia won 4-1. He missed the 2026 T20 World Cup, where Australia crashed out in the group stages.
Cummins was signed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024 auction for a whopping INR 24.75 crore. He was appointed captain of the franchise in the same year and they made it to the finals. However, they were beaten by the Kolkata Knight Riders to finish as runners-up. He was retained as captain ahead of the 2025 season, where he led the team to a sixth-placed finish.
In Cummins' absence, Ishan Kishan has been named the stand-in captain, with Abhishek Sharma as his deputy. The Sunrisers Hyderabad take on the Punjab Kings at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur on April 11.
