SRH vs RR IPL 2026: Australia's Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins has provided a huge update about his availability for their IPL 2026 match against the Rajasthan Royals. Cummins has posted on his official Instagram account, sharing three pictures of himself attending a bowling practice session.

He had revealed in the post's caption that he was ready to return to competitive action from Saturday, 25th April.

“Been a long time coming, stinging to get back into it tomorrow," Cummins has written as the caption of the post.

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Here's a look:

SRH had retained Cummins for a whopping Rs 18 crore before the IPL 2025 mega auction, was last seen in competitive cricket in December last year and had helped Australia win the third Ashes Test against the Ben Stokes-led side.

He was part of Australia's T20 World Cup squad but had to withdraw from the mega event due to fitness issues. This is the same issue that delayed his IPL return.

During his absence, Ishan Kishan has been the stand-in captain, leading the team through the first seven matches of the ongoing season, during which they have won four.

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It will be interesting to see whether Cummins returns to the Hyderabad-based franchise's playing XI for their match against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, or whether they play under Ishan Kishan's captaincy.

Bangar wants Ishan to continue as captain

A few days ago, ex-India batting coach Sanjay Bangar lauded Ishan's captaincy in the ongoing season and emphasized that he should continue to lead the team from the front, even if Cummins returns to the playing XI.

Ishan Kishan, as a leader, is tactically very good at using his bowlers. He understands which bowlers to use against which batters. It is a clear marker of how well he controls the game. He doesn’t look flustered, is not hurried, and is taking the right calls on the field," Bangar was quoted as saying on JioHotstar.

“The way he used his spinners against DC was impressive. All in all, I believe that even if Pat Cummins comes back, Ishan should continue captaining SRH. More often than not, having an Indian captain brings consistency," he concluded.