Pat Cummins has temporarily left the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp during IPL 2026. He has returned to Australia for a final scan on his injured back. Cummins has not played regularly since July last year, except for one appearance in the Ashes.
Reports suggest that the scan was already planned. Cricket Australia will supervise the process. He left India after SRH’s last match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata.
If cleared, Cummins is expected to rejoin the squad on April 17.
Planned Return in Second Half of IPL
Cummins had earlier made it clear that he would likely miss the early part of the tournament. "if nothing goes wrong, [I'll] play the back half [of the IPL] plus the finals [if SRH get there]".
Before IPL 2026 began, he had already resumed bowling in training sessions after joining the squad ahead of their opening match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28.
Ishan Kishan Continues as Captain
With Cummins unavailable at the start of the season, Ishan Kishan was appointed as captain of SRH. He will continue to lead the team until Cummins returns.
Injury History and Recovery Plan
Cummins has struggled with a back injury since July last year. His only competitive match during this period was the third Ashes Test in December. He had also hoped to play in the T20 World Cup earlier this year but missed it due to what he described as a "minor setback" in his recovery.
Speaking before travelling to India, Cummins shared an update on his fitness.
"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."
SRH Manage Without Cummins
In Cummins’ absence, SRH have relied on overseas fast bowlers Eshan Malinga and David Payne. The team will play their third match of the season against Lucknow Super Giants in Hyderabad.