IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins will miss the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season as he continues to recover from a back injury. Cummins, who arrived in India recently, trained with the team at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where he did light sprints and bowled at low intensity. However, he said he is still recovering and will not be available at the start of the tournament.

"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, so hopefully, if nothing goes wrong, [I'll] play the back half plus the finals," Cummins said on the Business of Sport podcast.

The Australia Test and ODI captain has played only one match since sustaining the injury in July last year. He also missed the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 In his absence, SRH have named Ishan Kishan as interim captain. It will be Kishan’s first time leading an IPL side. He previously captained Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in the 2025-26 season.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka fast bowler Eshan Malinga has joined the squad after receiving a no-objection certificate from Sri Lanka Cricket. He is expected to bolster the pace attack during Cummins’ absence.

SRH will begin their campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 28 and will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 2. Their first home match is scheduled against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 5, followed by a game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 11.