Pat Cummins will miss the opening matches of IPL 2026 due to a lumbar bone stress injury in his lower back. As a result, Sunrisers Hyderabad have appointed Ishan Kishan as interim captain for the early phase of the tournament.
SRH begins their campaign against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28, and Cummins won’t be available for the opener.
Why Is Pat Cummins Missing IPL 2026 Matches?
The Australian fast bowler has been dealing with a back injury since July 2025. His last competitive appearance came during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, which ended on December 21, 2025. After that single Test, the injury forced him out of the remaining Ashes matches and the entire ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
In short, Cummins hasn’t played any cricket in nearly three months. He still needs to clear his fitness tests before Cricket Australia gives him the green light to rejoin SRH.
Beyond the captaincy gap, his absence also hurts SRH’s bowling. Over the last two IPL seasons, Cummins picked up 34 wickets for the Orange Army. That’s a significant hole in an already thin pace attack.
Why Did SRH Pick Ishan Kishan Over Abhishek Sharma?
Both Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma were in the running for the interim role. However, SRH ultimately went with Kishan.
The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter recently captained Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in the 2025-26 domestic season. On top of that, he delivered strong performances during India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, including three half-centuries across the tournament.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma, the current No. 1 ranked T20I batter, was also a strong contender. He captained Punjab in the SMAT and smashed a stunning 18-ball fifty in the T20 World Cup final. Still, the management favoured Kishan’s recent captaincy track record.
What’s SRH’s Early IPL 2026 Schedule?
Here’s how the first phase looks for Sunrisers Hyderabad:
- March 28 vs RCB at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
- April 2 vs KKR at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- April 5 vs LSG at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Hyderabad (first home game)
- April 11 vs PBKS at Mullanpur, New Chandigarh
Without Cummins, the bowling burden falls on Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, and Shivam Mavi. The batting still looks fearsome with Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, and Abhishek Sharma in the lineup. But holding the captaincy together while replacing 34 IPL wickets worth of bowling? That’s the real test for Ishan Kishan.
