The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 have reached the halfway mark, as most teams have played seven games each in the tournament so far. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have had a start-stop IPL campaign so far. The Orange Army might have found the right combination since the last few games and is performing brilliantly without regular captain Pat Cummins.
SRH are currently placed in the fourth position of the points table. The Orange Army is set to play the Rajasthan Royals tomorrow at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur. It is going to be a reverse fixture, as a few weeks back, RR were demolished by the SRH bowlers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad.
The two debutants, Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, dismantled the top order of the Royals. However, now Pat Cummins has hinted at his return to the side after his long string of injuries, the SRH captain has posted his return date on Instagram, while sharing a post where he has been bowling in the nets. Cummins was out due to a lower back (lumbar) stress injury.
Stinging to get back into it tomorrow- Pat Cummins
Cummins captioned the post, “Been a long time coming, stinging to get back into it tomorrow.” This means he is fit to play and is ready to go against the Rajasthan Royals tomorrow. Now, the big question arises is whether he will lead the side or not. Ishan Kishan has led the side well in the former’s absence.
Many former cricketers believe that Ishan Kishan should be leading the side despite Pat Cummins’ return to the side, as it would be a disrespect towards Kishan, who has been leading the side from the start of the tournament. However, there has been no confirmation on who either Ishan or Cummins will lead the side in tomorrow’s match.
Why did Cummins miss first half of IPL 2026?
Pat Cummins has been suffering from a back injury since last year and nearly missed the whole season as he only played a single test match last year, which was against England, and did not even participate in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as well. He also did not feature in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Though Cummins joined the SRH squad and trained before returning to Australia in April for final scans to confirm fitness, to play in the tournament’s second half. Now he has got the green light from Cricket Australia to play the rest of the rich cash league.
Ishan Kishan to continue as captain?
Speaking on JioHotstar, Harbhajan said SRH should resist the temptation to provide the capttaincy to Cummins immediately. “Ishan Kishan should continue as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain even if Pat Cummins returns. It is a debatable call, but if the team has backed a young leader, they should stick with him,” Harbhajan said.
“The bowlers and other players have built good coordination with him. Keeping Ishan as captain will benefit Sunrisers Hyderabad,” he added. It is going to be an interesting call on tomorrow for the management.
Also Read: IPL 2026 Is Producing a Historic Youth Breakout ft Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – Data Inside
