SRH Confirm Pat Cummins Return Date (Source: AFP Photos)
In a significant development, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday confirmed when exactly Pat Cummins would return to action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
The Orange Army assured that Cummins will play SRH’s match against Rajasthan Royals, which will take place at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. This will be Match 36 of IPL 2026, which will also be the first reverse fixture of this year’s competition.
Will Pat Cummins Be Back As SRH Captain?
With Ishan Kishan taking charge as SRH’s stand-in captain in IPL 2026, it would be interesting to see whether Cummins returns to lead the side from the very first match of this year’s competition.
More significantly, SRH had won three matches on the trot before their IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals, giving an indication of Kishan’s leadership qualities in recent times.
Why Pat Cummins missed initial IPL 2026?
Earlier, Cummins did not take part in Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign either. He has been suffering from a back injury for quite a while and, therefore, has not been in action in IPL 2026 so far.
However, he is now finally cleared to play a competitive match, and SRH fans will be pleased to see their captain back in full tilt.
Also Read: Ishan Kishan To Become SRH's Permanent Captain? Pat Cummins Drops Big Hint
Who Will Pat Cummins Replace In SRH Playing XI Vs RR?
With Cummins confirmed to be back in action, SRH will have to fix their four overseas players for their IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals. In-form Eshan Malinga and Heinrich Klaasen are sure to be in SRH’s XI, and there is little chance that Travis Head can be dropped.
That means Malinga, Klaasen, Head and Cummins himself will be SRH’s four foreign players against Riyan Parag’s RR. In terms of bowling attack, Sakib Hussain and Maliga will complement Cummins in the pace department, with dream IPL debutant Praful Hinge unlikely to be there once again.
Meanwhile, Shivang Kumar and Harsh Dubey are likely to be the spin pair for SRH regulars.
SRH In IPL 2026 So Far
SRH are currently placed fourth on the IPL 2026 points table. They have won four matches in seven attempts, with an NRR of +0.820. Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are above them.
SRH played the IPL 2026 season opener, against defending champions RCB. They lost the match by six wickets. After that, they came against KKR, securing a comfortable victory with a margin of 65 runs.
SRH lost momentum once again, suffering defeats against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their next two fixtures. Then the comeback happened with three successive victories, with the blistering form of Abhishek Sharma giving them a massive boost to keep themselves in the race for IPL 2026 playoffs.
Also Read: Fact Check- Have CSK Filed Another BCCI Complaint Against SRH Fan's Black Magic?
