IPL 2026: Pat Cummins eyes mid-season return for SRH from back injury

Australia and SRH skipper Pat Cummins is recovering from a back injury and aims for a mid-IPL 2026 return. While he will miss the start of the tournament, he has resumed bowling in the nets as part of a structured rehabilitation plan.

Australia Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins has indicated that he is on the road to recovery from a back injury and is aiming to return to action midway through the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.

Road to Recovery and Return Timeline

Speaking on a Business of Sport podcast, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Cummins said he has resumed bowling in the nets and is gradually building up his workload as part of a structured rehabilitation plan. "I'm still recovering from a back injury, but it's good. I'm back bowling in the nets," he said, according to the report.

The fast bowler acknowledged that he will miss the initial phase of the IPL but remains optimistic about making a timely comeback. "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," he added.

Cummins further revealed that he is currently bowling every third day as part of a carefully monitored schedule designed to ensure a safe return to competitive cricket. "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 stated.

Past Injuries and Stand-in Captaincy

Cummins played one Test match against England during the Ashes series last year due to a back stress injury. The right-arm speedster also missed the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

In place of Cummins, the Hyderabad-based franchise has confirmed that India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will be the stand-in skipper for the 2026 season.

Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for IPL 2026

Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for IPL 2026: Ishan Kishan, Salil Arora, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Ravichandran Smaran, Aniket Verma, Abhishek Sharma, Brydon Carse, Harsh Dubey, Krains Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Shivang Kumar, Jack Edwards, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga, David Payne, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, David Payne, and Pat Cummins (ANI).

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