SRH Coach Provides Key Update on Pat Cummins’ Fitness for IPL 2026 Opener Against RCB

New Delhi:

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first few games of the IPL 2026. The franchise has already notified the development, as Ishan Kishan has been named the new captain for the time being. However, there wasn’t any details on when Cummins could be available for action. It was believed that the pacer could miss the entire first half of the season, but head coach Daniel Vettori confirmed that he is fit and can be back in the next 10-12 days.

Sharing more details, the former all-rounder mentioned that Cricket Australia are keeping a close watch on Cummins’ fitness. He mentioned that in terms of fitness, the Australia international is doing fine, but the only challenge is the bowling load. The governing body, in the meantime, has made it clear that they won’t rush Cummins, espcially after he missed the Ashes and the T20 World Cup, owing to injuries.

“His fitness has been exceptional. He’s been out of the game for an extended period of time, so he’s had time to work on fitness. The only challenge for him was the bowling load. Once he got the all-clear from Cricket Australia to build those bowling loads, it’s a bit of a painstaking process to get the lungs up to where he feels confident and strong about bowling. Hopefully, we can get a definitive timeline, probably in the next 10-12 days, on when he can return to play,” Vettori said ahead of SRH’s IPL 2026 opener against RCB.

Can Smaran make his IPL debut?

In the meantime, the team combination remains under discussion, particularly in the batting department, where several domestic players are pushing for inclusion. Vettori highlighted that performances in recent tournaments and practice matches have made selection decisions more competitive than expected.

“Smaran is probably in the best form among anyone in India. Salil’s form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and warm-up games has been incredibly impressive. Abhishek (Sharma) has been a huge fan of him. We just have to balance our fifth and sixth bowler options against a very strong RCB batting line-up,” Vettori said.

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