Pat Cummins (SOURCE:AFP)The schedule for the opening phase of the IPL 2026 season has been officially announced. SRH will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against defending champions RCB on March 28 at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.Their next match is scheduled for April 2 against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. The clash is expected to be an exciting one, as it brings back memories of the IPL 2024 final.SRH will then play their first home game on April 5 against Lucknow Super Giants at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The team's fourth match of the opening phase will be against the Punjab Kings on April 11 in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.Pat Cummins likely to miss IPL 2026 initial matchesSRH may start the tournament without their regular captain, Pat Cummins. According to several media reports, including Gaurav Gupta (TOI), the Australian fast bowler is likely to miss the initial matches of the tournament due to injury.Also Read: Jason Gillespie accuses Pat Cummins of IPL over Australia, issues clarification after abuseReports claim that Pat Cummins is currently recovering and is away from competitive cricket, which could delay his return to action. The injury had earlier forced him to miss the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, raising concerns about his availability for the start of IPL 2026 as well.In Pat Cummins’ absence, Abhishek Sharma is expected to take charge of the team for the first few games. The management is reportedly considering him as the stand-in captain during the early phase of the tournament.Gaurav Gupta @toi_gauravG No Cummins FOR SRH at the start of #IPL2026..Big breaking waiting for Abhishek Sharma! #PatCummins likely to miss the first few matches of IPL 2026. India's T20 opener #AbhishekSharma set to take up the captaincy in Cummins’ absence! Pat Cummins' injury major concern for SRHThe Australian fast bowler has struggled with fitness issues in recent months. Pat Cummins has barely played white-ball cricket since July 2025. His only appearance during this period came in a Test match during the The Ashes, where Australia successfully defended the historic title against England. Soon after that match, Cummins suffered a back injury, which forced him to stay away from competitive cricket for nearly four months.Although the Cummins attempted a return to the field after his recovery, his comeback was short-lived.Abhishek Sharma to lead SRHAbhishek Sharma had shown promising form earlier in 2026, scoring consecutive half-centuries in a series against New Zealand. However, Abhishek Sharma's performance in the T20 World Cup was inconsistent. Abhishek Sharma struggled during the group stage and was dismissed for three consecutive ducks. Overall, he finished the tournament with 141 runs in eight matches, including two half-centuries.Despite the mixed campaign, Abhishek Sharma managed to make a contribution in the tournament final when India needed it the most.SRH Squad For IPL 2026Salil Arora, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Ravichandran Smaran, Aniket Verma, Abhishek Sharma, Brydon Carse, Harsh Dubey, Jack Edwards, Liam Livingstone, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Mavi, Pat Cummins, Amit Kumar, Krains Fuletra, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga, Harshal Patel, Sakib Hussain, Shivang Kumar, Onkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari.Also Read: RCB IPL 2026 Squad Analysis: Predicted Playing XI, SWOT And Expected Finish
