Sunrisers Hyderabad will get a timely boost ahead of their eighth IPL 2026 match Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, with Pat Cummins Ready to make a comeback after recovering from a back injury. The Australian all-rounder, who was out for the early part of the season, expressed his eagerness to get back on the field. “I’m feeling excited. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of cricket recently without playing, so I’m itching to get out there,” Cummins said in a video shared by the franchise on X. During his absence, Ishan Kishan Stepped in as captain and led the team in the opening seven matches. Cummins acknowledged the impact of the stand-in captain, praising both his energy and tactical awareness, while also mocking an aspect of his leadership. “The guys are on fire. It’s great to see, so hopefully I can add something. I think mostly Ishaan was good. I think he was absolutely terrible when it came to the toss. But other than that, he was very good. You know, he’s cooking, has a lot of energy, really good tactical moves,” he said while watching from the sidelines. “He’s obviously a great thinker of the game. And also, you know, Abhishek out there, he’s running it, and it’s looking pretty smooth. So yeah, when I’m out there, I’m sure I’ll lean on those guys, too, but yeah, well done, Ishaan, he’s included.” Cummins also considered the demands of fast bowling. IPLHighlighting the strong performances of SRH’s young bowlers this season, how challenging the format can be. “The IPL is a very tough place for fast bowlers, but I thought, I think all our guys have been exceptional. You know, a few young people have come in,” he said. “I think, well, I’ve definitely found it very difficult to find the pace of the IPL. Those guys seem like they’ve, you know, hit it right away. They’ve got a feel for the game. They’ve been setting up their variations brilliantly so far. So, you know, they already look like complete players. It doesn’t happen, but they started every game very well,” he said. Cummins traveled to India before the season but did not feature in the opening matches. He returned to Australia shortly after SRH’s thrilling win against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2 to undergo a scan on his back. Now, after passing his fitness test on Friday, the 32-year-old is ready to rejoin the playing XI and resume captaincy duties from the cushion. Under Kishan’s leadership, SRH have secured four wins in seven matches and are currently fourth on the points table with eight points and a healthy net run rate of +0.820. With Cummins back, the team will look to maintain that momentum as the tournament progresses.
