Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori has said that regular skipper Pat Cummins could return to action in the next fortnight in IPL 2026. Cummins has already started his road to recoveryThe Australian pacer will join the team’s training session in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Cummins has not played any form of cricket since last year’s Test in Adelaide against England due to a hamstring injury. Vettori said the fast bowler had made excellent progress in his fitness during his time out, with his bowling workload the main challenge. He added that a clearer timetable for Cummins’ return should emerge in the next 10 to 12 days.
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“His fitness has been exceptional because he’s been out for a long period of time so he’s had time to work on that fitness, a real block of work around strength and conditioning. The only challenge for him has been the bowling load,” Vettori told a news conference on Friday.
“So once he’s got the all-clear from Cricket Australia to build those bowling loads, it’s obviously a bit of an arduous process to get his lungs to where he feels confident and strong about bowling. Hopefully we can get a definitive timetable, probably in the next 10-12 days, when he can get back to playing,” Vettori added.
‘ISHAN KISHAN INCREDIBLY EXCITED’
Despite Cummins’ absence, Vettori sounded confident about SRH’s bowling attack. The former New Zealand all-rounder too backed Ishan Kishan to lead the side from the front while Cummins remains unavailable for the first few matches.
“It’s always a challenge when you remove an integral part of your captain and fast bowler, but I think we have suitable replacements and I know Ishan is incredibly excited to captain the team and we can rely on Pat until he’s really fit to play,” Vettori added.
Sunrisers will begin their campaign on Saturday, March 28 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Bengaluru. The Orange Army will be looking to bounce back after missing out on a playoff spot last season.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
27 March 2026 21:32 IST
