• Source:JND

IPL 2026: Just days before IPL 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad announced that Pat Cummins will miss the first few matches, with his participation depending on how his back responds to rehab. The exact cause of his absence remains unclear.

Since there was no proper timeline for his return, the Hyderabad-based franchise had announced Ishan Kishan as their stand-in skipper, and Abhishek Sharma will be the vice-captain. It was quite an interesting move, given the way Kishan had performed for the team last season and had pipped players like Travis Head, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Abhishek Sharma.

Kishan, being the captain, also shows how brilliantly he has bounced back. Post being sidelined from the Indian team since 2022 and losing his BCCI contract in 2023, he has made a brilliant comeback. There aren't many people who can do that.

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This absence puts SRH to the test: can they survive the upcoming season without their star bowler and brilliant leader?

PAT CUMMINS' IMPACT ON SRH

He had an immediate impact after he was roped in for a whopping Rs 20.50 crore, and he helped the team transform completely after it had struggled at the bottom of the points table in the last few seasons. He introduced a high-intensity approach which changed their batting lineup during the group stage, and they also made a target of 250 runs look gettable.

Under his captaincy, SRH qualified for the summit clash of this tournament for the first time in 6 years.

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IPL 2025 THAT WENT WRONG

But they were seen struggling throughout the IPL 2025. On balanced surfaces, their aggressive batting lineup failed, and they had lost six of their first eight matches.

Since Cummins and their head coach, Daniel Vettori, stuck to their philosophy, they couldn't adjust to those pitches. They only performed consistently in their last few matches, having won three consecutive games. They could have won their fourth consecutive match as well, but the clash against the Delhi Capitals was abandoned owing to incessant rain.

CUMMINS THE BOWLER

Pat Cummins, the bowler, had a dream run during IPL 2025, taking 16 wickets across 14 matches at a staggering economy rate of 9.

His bowling prowess in the middle overs shone brightly, as he leaked runs at just 7.6 in overs 7 and 16, helping the team perform brilliantly during the powerplay.

He was SRH's highest wicket-getter, and these performances could have been better if he had more support.

CUMMINS' TACTICAL CALLS

Although he made some tactical mistakes during IPL 2025, in the match against the Lucknow Super Giants, Cummins used Abhishek Sharma against Nicholas Pooran, one of the best batters against spinners. This decision didn't work in their favour as the Rishabh Pant-led side chased the mammoth target of 191 runs in 16 overs.

Continuing with an inconsistent Mohammed Shami for nine matches also didn't work for them, as the star fast bowler took only 9 wickets at an economy rate of 11.

CAN SRH COPE WITHOUT CUMMINS?

Cummins had a mixed season overall, but his experience and ability to lead the team are quite important.

The Hyderabad-based franchise will also need to find a lead fast bowler, with options like Eshan Malinga and Brydon Carse available.

As far as Ishan is concerned, leading a team will be quite challenging. He did help Jharkhand win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but leading a team in IPL is entirely different.

SRH are hoping for Cummins' swift return. A prolonged absence could hurt their chances and put them at risk of another disappointing season.


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