Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 and remains doubtful for IPL 2026. The SRH captain says his participation depends on recovery from a back injury, with scans scheduled in coming weeks.
Australia’s Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has confirmed he will miss the T20 World Cup 2026 due to a back injury, raising doubts about his availability for the upcoming Indian Premier League season.
Cummins was initially named in Australia’s preliminary squad for the tournament, which runs from February 7 to March 8 across India and Sri Lanka. However, he was replaced by Ben Dwarshuis on January 31 after failing to recover in time.
The absence of Cummins, who last played a T20I in June 2024 against India, has weakened Australia’s bowling attack. His withdrawal also sparked speculation about whether he would feature in IPL 2026, where he captains Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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Speaking to AAP, Cummins provided a fitness update, saying his participation in the league depends entirely on his back’s recovery. “We’ll just be guided by my back. We’ll have another scan in a few weeks, and if it’s good, then we’ll have a slow build‑up,” he explained.
The 32‑year‑old added that T20 matches are easier to prepare for physically, which is why he came close to being fit for the World Cup. “It was really unfortunate. I feel pretty good, just a minor setback, and I just ran out of time, really. I’ll rest up for a few weeks and go from there,” Cummins said.
He revealed that after the Adelaide Test match, doctors advised four to eight weeks of rest to allow the bone to settle before resuming training. Initially, the recovery was expected to take only four weeks, but a follow‑up scan indicated more time was needed. “They thought it probably needed another couple of weeks, so the timeline just became a bit too tight,” he added.
Cummins, who led Australia to the ODI World Cup title in 2023 and guided SRH to the IPL 2024 final, remains hopeful of returning for the franchise later this year.
