Cummins heads back home for final scan on injured back
He is expected to rejoin the SRH squad on April 17 if cleared by CA
ESPNcricinfo staff
Published: Apr 4, 2026, 8:59 AM
Pat Cummins had been bowling in training sessions since linking up with SRH • BCCI
Pat Cummins, the designated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain who has been out of action since July last year with just one Ashes Test appearance in between, has left the team’s camp at IPL 2026 and returned home to have a final scan on his injured back.
ESPNcricinfo understands that the scan is a scheduled one, to be conducted with Cricket Australia (CA) overseeing it, and that Cummins left India at the end of SRH’s last game, against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Thursday. He is expected to rejoin the squad on April 17 if cleared by CA.
This is along expected lines, since Cummins had said prior to IPL 2026 that “if nothing goes wrong, [I’ll] play the back half [of the IPL] plus the finals [if SRH get there]”. He had been bowling in the training sessions since linking up with the squad prior to their first game of the tournament, the season opener in Bengaluru against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28.
Ishan Kishan, who was appointed captain by SRH once it became clear that Cummins wouldn’t be able to take the field in the initial stages of IPL 2026, will continue to lead the team.
The third Ashes Test in December was Cummins’ only competitive outing since he first experienced symptoms in his back last July. He had initially hoped to play in the T20 World Cup earlier this year but was ruled out after what he described as a “minor setback” in his recovery.
Roughly a week before leaving Australia for India, Cummins had told the Business of Sports podcast, “I’m still recovering from a back injury, but it’s good. I’m back bowling in the nets. The IPL is starting soon. I won’t make the start of that, but it shouldn’t be too long before I’m back out there playing.
“I’m back bowling. I’m bowling basically every third day at the moment. We’ve mapped out a plan to get me right by [the] middle of the tournament.”
In Cummins’ absence, Eshan Malinga and David Payne have played as SRH’s overseas fast bowlers so far. Their next – third – game is on Sunday afternoon against Lucknow Super Giants at home in Hyderabad.
