Sunrisers Hyderabad have received a significant boost in the ongoing IPL 2026 season as their skipper Pat Cummins has been cleared to return to action after recovering from a back injury.
Cummins had arrived in India ahead of the season but was unable to feature in any match. The 32-year-old flew back to Australia right after SRH’s thrilling victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2 to undergo scans on his back. The results have brought welcome relief, scans conducted in Sydney confirmed that the injury has healed, paving the way for his return to competitive cricket.
Cummins is now targeting a comeback on April 25, when SRH is scheduled to face Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, and is expected to fly back to India immediately to rejoin the squad.
The Australian all-rounder’s absence has been felt well beyond the IPL. He has not played a single match since the Ashes series at home against England and also missed the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2026, where Australia suffered a shock group-stage exit, the first time in the tournament’s history.
In Cummins’ absence, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been leading the side, guiding SRH to two wins from five matches. The team currently sits fourth on the points table with a net run rate of +0.576.
SRH showed considerable promise in their most recent outing. They defeated table-toppers Rajasthan Royals with a dominant bowling performance from debutants Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, who each claimed four wickets as RR were bowled out for 159 while chasing 217, losing by 57 runs.
SRH will next face five-time champions Chennai Super Kings on Saturday at their home ground, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, before Cummins makes his much-awaited return the following week.
With the tournament heating up, the return of their talismanic captain could prove to be the turning point SRH need to mount a serious title challenge.
