IPL 2026: Pat Cummins hopeful of returning in latter half
What's the story
Pat Cummins, the regular captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), is hopeful of making a comeback in the latter half and finals of IPL 2026. The Australian fast bowler is currently recovering from a lumbar stress injury that forced him to miss out on the T20 World Cup. "I'm still recovering from a back injury, but it's good. I'm back bowling in the nets," he told Business of Sport podcast recently.
Recovery strategy
'I'll play the back half plus the finals'
Cummins revealed that he has been bowling almost every third day as part of his recovery. He said, "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." This comes after SRH announced that Ishan Kishan will lead in Cummins's absence for the start of IPL 2026.
Captaincy success
Cummins lauds Kishan's captaincy
Kishan has been on a roll since leading Jharkhand to their maiden domestic title in December 2025. Under his captaincy, Jharkhand won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Kishan emerging as the top run-scorer of the season. Cummins praised his teammate saying, "Ishan's had a really successful captaincy stint with his local side in the last year or so."
Information
A look at the IPL stats of Cummins
In 72 IPL games, Cummins owns 79 scalps at 30.03. He owns one four-fer. Since joining SRH in 2024, he has played 2 seasons. In IPL 2024, he picked 18 scalps at 31.44. Last season, Cummins bagged 16 scalps at 28.12.