In a surprising development, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins has left his team and returned home for an important back scan in the middle of the ongoing IPL 2026.
Pat Cummins has barely been seen on the field since July last year. After the fast bowler first felt pain in his back in July 2025, he played only one match, and that was the third Ashes Test at home against England in December. That was his only appearance in competitive cricket.
He was hoping to play in the T20 World Cup 2026 earlier this year, but his back just didn’t heal the way he expected, and his plans fell flat. This setback also forced him to miss the start of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing IPL 2026.
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Pat Cummins flies home mid IPL 2026 season for urgent back scan
Now, Cummins is once again waiting for a scan report to return to action. This time, the SRH captain must be hoping to finally get back to playing without worrying about his back injury.
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As reported by ESPNCricinfo, Pat Cummins flew back to Australia right after SRH’s thrilling win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday, April 2, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This scan was already planned and will be done under the supervision of Cricket Australia (CA).
If everything comes out clear and Cricket Australia gives their Test and ODI captain the green signal, Cummins is expected to rejoin the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad on April 17.
Ishan Kishan to continue captain SRH as Pat Cummins set to miss more games
In Cummins’ absence, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was handed the captaincy baton of SRH, with Abhishek Sharma being his vice-captain in the ongoing tournament.
Now, Ishan will continue to captain the Hyderabad side in Pat Cummins’ absence. On the bowling front, Eshan Malinga and David Payne have been SRH’s overseas fast bowlers so far this season.
SRH bounce back in style after defeat in IPL 2026 season opener
Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad finally gave their fans something to cheer about with a stunning performance at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 2 after their crushing 6-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2026 season opener in Bengaluru.
The SRH crushed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 65 runs on April 2 to record their first win of this season, thanks to their fearless batting. Heinrich Klaasen showed his class with a solid 52, Abhishek Sharma regained his form with 48, and Travis Head played another attacking knock of 46 runs.
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Their contributions helped the SRH to post the highest total of the ongoing IPL 2026 so far – a massive 226/8. Chasing the target, KKR batters struggled badly as Jaydev Unadkat shattered their hopes with a three-wicket haul.
Sunrisers Hyderabad build momentum ahead of home game
Eshan Malinga and Nitish Kumar Reddy added pressure with two wickets each, and the KKR were eventually bowled out for 161 at Eden Gardens. Nitish was named Player of the Match for his all-round show, scoring 39 runs and taking two crucial wickets against the KKR.
With this dominant win, SRH jumped to 6th place on the IPL 2026 points table with 2 points and a strong Net Run Rate of +0.469.
Their confidence is now sky-high as they return home for their first match of the ongoing IPL 2026 in Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on April 5 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).