IPL 2026: SRH coach Daniel Vettori gives update on skipper Pat Cummins ahead of RCB clash; ‘Probably in the next…’

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Daniel Vettori has given an update on permanent skipper Pat Cummins, suggesting that he could be available in the next 10-12 days.

The Australia pacer had missed the 2026 T20 World Cup due to a back injury. He has started bowling in the nets for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but is yet to receive clearance from Cricket Australia (CA) to compete in the IPL. Ishan Kishan has been appointed the SRH stand-in skipper.

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," Vettori said during a pre-match press conference in Bengaluru on Friday.

Sunrisers Hyderabad will begin their IPL 2026 campaign with a game against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Bengaluru on Saturday.

"Hopefully, we can get a definitive timeline, probably in the next 10-12 days, on when he can return to play,” he added.

Pat Cummins missed the first two Tests of Australia's home Ashes series against England while undergoing rehabilitation from a lower back injury, but returned to play in the third Test. He took six wickets in the third Test, but was ruled out of the last two Tests of the series due to the recurrence of the back injury.

He hasn't played competitive cricket since the middle of December, when the third Ashes Test was played in Adelaide.

Vettori was also confident about Iahan Kishan's capabilities as SRH captain. "I think Ishan's been around in the IPL for a long period of time now. He's been with a number of teams and he's been highly successful, so, he brings in his own confidence around that," the former New Zealand captain said.

"The fact that he's led the U19s and his state team and they won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year brings a confident person, a confident player and a really confident leader and those are the attributes that we really looked at when he was appointed," added the 47-year-old.

Cummins had led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the final of IPL 2024, wherein they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets.

He picked up 18 wickets from 16 matches that season, and followed it up by taking 16 wickets from 14 matches in IPL 2025. SRH, however, failed to make the IPL playoffs last year after finishing in sixth place with 13 points.