IPL 2026: Pat Cummins joins SRH squad, outlines return timeline after back injury

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins has begun his road to recovery, with the Australian pace spearhead joining the team’s training session at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, March 25.

Cummins, who is nursing a back injury, kept his workload light during the session. The 32-year-old focused on warm-up routines, participated in fielding and catching drills, and bowled a few deliveries with a shortened run-up in an empty net, signaling a gradual return to bowling rhythm.

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The Australia Test and ODI captain has been sidelined for much of the past year due to a lumbar stress injury sustained after the Caribbean tour last July. Since then, he has featured in just one international match – the Adelaide Test against England in December – and also missed Australia’s underwhelming campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

With IPL 2026 around the corner, Cummins has confirmed that he will miss the initial phase of the tournament but is optimistic about returning midway through the season.

“I’m still recovering from a back injury, but it’s good. I’m back bowling in the nets,” Cummins said on the Business of Sport podcast.

“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 bowling basically every third day at the moment. We’ve mapped out a plan to get me right by the middle of the tournament, so hopefully, if nothing goes wrong, I can play the back half plus the finals.”

In his absence, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been named Sunrisers Hyderabad’s stand-in captain for the early part of the season.

Cummins’ return will be crucial not just for SRH but also for Australia, who have a packed international calendar later this year. The side is scheduled to host Bangladesh for a two-Test series in August before touring South Africa for a three-match Test series, which also serves as part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.

Australia will then play a white-ball series in South Africa before returning home for a marquee four-Test series against New Zealand in the summer.

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