'Been a long time coming' - Pat Cummins confirms availability for SRH vs RR encounter

Published - 24 Apr 2026, 16:11 IST | Updated - 24 Apr 2026, 16:31 IST

Captain Pat Cummins is all in readiness to play his first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be hosted by Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur for Match No. 36 of the tournament on Saturday, April 25.

Cummins had been managing his workload in line with Cricket Australia's (CA) directives, which did not allow him to take part in the first half of the IPL. But the cricketer is now back and will also be seen donning the captain's hat, relieving Ishan Kishan from the chair under whom the Sunrisers won as many as four out of the seven games played with a positive net run-rate (NRR) of 0.620.

"Been a long time coming, stinging to get back into it tomorrow," Cummins shared in a social media post via his official Instagram handle, hinting his return to the dressing room.

Cummins is most likely slated to replace the out-of-form Liam Livingstone, the England all-rounder, who has failed to fire with the bat and ball for the Hyderabad-based franchise. Apart from Cummins, Travis Head (opening batter), Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper-batter) and Eshan Malinga (fast bowler) are the remaining overseas options who are most likely to form part of SRH's playing combination for the season.

For the unversed, SRH have eight points at the moment, courtesy of which they find themselves in the top four of the current standings on the points table. With seven games remaining, the 2016 champions have a perfect opportunity to make it through to the finals and win their long-awaited second title in the marquee T20 tournament.

The return of Cummins will bring a fresh enthusiasm within the SRH dressing room, as the successful international captain has also led the franchise to an IPL final in 2024, where they unfortunately lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. However, the New South Wales cricketer will be confident of his leadership abilities to lift the silverware, as half the job has already been done and all that is required now is that they make the start count.