Pat Cummins confirms availability for Rajasthan Royals clash: Been a long time coming
IPL 2026, RR vs SRH: Pat Cummins confirmed his availability for Sunrisers Hyderabad's clash against Rajasthan Royals after recovering from a long-term back injury, boosting the side after missing the first seven matches.
Pat Cummins confirmed his availablity for the Rajasthan Royals clash. Courtesy: Cummins Instagram
Sunrisers Hyderabad have reason to cheer ahead of their IPL 2026 clash against Rajasthan Royals, with regular captain Pat Cummins set to return to action. On Friday, April 24, Cummins confirmed his availability for the upcoming game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, April 25.
Cummins shared a few pictures on his social media, where he was seen running in and bowling at full tilt. Captioning the post, he wrote, “Been a long time coming, stinging to get back into it tomorrow,” underlining his eagerness to return after missing the first seven matches of the season.
His SRH teammate Travis Head also joined in with a light-hearted comment, joking, “These AI pictures are getting better and better.” In Cummins’ absence, Ishan Kishan led the Sunrisers in his maiden stint as IPL captain.
CUMMINS RECOVERS FROM BACK INJURY
The Australian has been managing a back injury since last July, which ruled him out of the T20 World Cup. His only outing since then came in a lone Ashes Test in December. The extended layoff had raised concerns for both the national side and the franchise, given his importance to the pace attack and leadership group.
He initially linked up with the squad on March 27 ahead of their IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but returned home on April 4 following the game against Kolkata Knight Riders to undergo final scans. Having since cleared a fitness test in Australia, he is now set to return to action for the Sunrisers.
SUNRISERS BOUNCING BACK
The Sunrisers endured a shaky start to their campaign, losing three of their first four matches. However, the 2016 champions have bounced back strongly with three consecutive wins, climbing into the top four with eight points and a net run rate of +0.820.
They head into the clash against the Riyan Parag-led Royals on the back of a 47-run win over Delhi Capitals, where Abhishek Sharma’s unbeaten 135 lit up the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
- Ends