Cummins targeting 'back half' of IPL 2026 for return

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has confirmed he is likely to feature only in the latter half of IPL 2026 as he continues his recovery from a back injury. "I'm still recovering from a back injury, but it's good. Cummins stated recently on the Business of Sport podcast, "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." The Australia captain added that his return has been carefully planned with a focus on the latter stages. "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. I hope to play the back half and the finals if nothing goes wrong. Over the past few months, Cummins has been injured, causing him to play intermittently. He played only a solitary Test during the Ashes after rehabilitating a nagging back issue he picked up during the tour of the Caribbean last July. He was set to play some part in the T20 World Cup but a minor setback in his recovery ruled him out entirely. Cummins has already arrived in Bengaluru ahead of SRH's first match on March 28 against the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, despite his inability to play in the first two games. Ishan Kishan, though, will be standing in for him as SRH captain during the initial phase of the tournament. Cummins stated, "Ishan's had a really successful stint as captain with his local side in the last year or so." "Those guys, you're leaning on anyway. We've got quite an experienced bowling group of local guys, so a few of the younger guys that come through that I don't know as well. "Particularly early on in a season, I'm definitely leaning on the local guys who do know them well or even speak the language. The presence of local dialects and the fact that the majority of the men do not speak English fluently can present a challenge for an international captain. In some positive news for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sri Lanka pacer Ehsan Malinga has joined the squad after getting a clearance from Sri Lanka Cricket.