Pat Cummins set to return for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals

Pat Cummins is set to return for Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of their eighth IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium after recovering from a back injury.

The Australian all-rounder had been sidelined since the early part of the season. Speaking in a video shared by the franchise on X, Cummins said he was eager to get back on the field. “I feel excited. I feel like I've watched too much cricket lately without playing, so I'm itching to get out there. Yeah, stinging to get out there,” he said.

During his absence, Ishan Kishan captained the side in the opening seven matches. Cummins praised Kishan's leadership, energy and tactical awareness, while joking about his record at the toss. "Boys have been on fire. It's been great to watch, so hopefully I can add something. I think for the most part, Ishan was good. I think when it comes to tosses, he was absolutely terrible. But outside of that, he was excellent. You know, he's been brewing, lots of energy, really good tactical moves from, you know, looking from the outside in,” he said.

“He's obviously a great thinker of the game. And alongside, you know, Abhishek out there as well, they've been running it, and it looks pretty smooth. So yeah, when I'm out there, I'm sure I'll be leaning on those guys as well. But yeah, well done, Ishan, he's been awesome,” he added.

Cummins also reflected on the demands of fast bowling in the IPL and praised SRH's younger bowlers. “IPL is a very tough place for fast bowlers, but I thought, I think all our guys have been exceptional. You know, a few of the young guys have come in,” he said.

“I think it's, well, I've certainly found it really hard to find the pace of IPL. Those guys look like they've, you know, hit it straight away. They've got the feel of the game. They're sequencing their variations brilliantly so far. So, you know, they already look like the complete players. It's not going to happen perfectly every game, but they've had a great start,” he added.

Cummins had travelled to India before the season but did not feature in the initial matches. He returned to Australia shortly after Sunrisers Hyderabad's win over Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2 to undergo scans on his back.

After clearing his fitness test on Friday, the 32-year-old is set to return to the playing XI and reclaim captaincy duties from Kishan. Under Kishan, Sunrisers Hyderabad have won four of seven matches and are fourth on the points table with eight points and a net run rate of +0.820. With Cummins available again, the team will look to build on that momentum as the tournament progresses.