New Delhi, April 4 – Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins has returned to Australia mid-way through the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 to undergo a final medical scan on his persistent back injury.
The Australian fast bowler has not played a single match since the Ashes series at home against England. He also missed the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2026, where Australia was eliminated from the group stage for the first time.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, Cummins flew back to Australia immediately after SRH's thrilling victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday, April 2, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This scan was already scheduled and will be conducted under the supervision of Cricket Australia (CA).
Australian captain Cummins, who has already missed the first two matches for the team, will be absent for two more matches as he is expected to join the squad on April 17 after clearing the test.
Ishan Kishan, who was appointed captain by SRH after it became clear that Cummins wouldn't be able to play in the initial stages of IPL 2026, will continue to lead the team.
Under Kishan's leadership, the 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lost their first match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28 by six wickets after a poor bowling display.
However, the team bounced back in style in the next match, defeating three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 65 runs. With this win, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are currently ranked sixth in the points table with two points in two games and a net run rate of +0.469.
SRH will next face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their first home match of IPL 2026, to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.