Sunrisers Hyderabad received thrilling news ahead of their IPL 2026 showdown with Rajasthan Royals: captain Pat Cummins is fully fit and set to feature. The World Cup-winning all-rounder aced his fitness evaluation on Friday and took to social media to announce his comeback.
This will be Cummins’ first appearance in the tournament, having been ruled out due to a back niggle that forced him back to Australia post-SRH’s opener win against KKR. The 32-year-old hasn’t played since the Ashes and skipped the T20 World Cup where Australia faltered early.
SRH managed without him by shuffling bowlers like Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat, then blooding youngsters Prafull Hinge and Saqib Hussain. The duo starred with four-wicket hauls each in a prior RR game, proving SRH’s bowling resilience.
Under stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan, the Orange Army has a 4-3 record, fresh off dominating Delhi Capitals by 47 runs. Cummins’ inclusion bolsters their campaign as they face RR, who they met earlier with those standout debuts.
Cummins expressed excitement on Instagram: ‘Long wait over, raring to go tomorrow.’ Fans anticipate his leadership and skills to turn the tide in this high-stakes IPL battle, potentially reshaping playoff race dynamics.
