IPL 2026: ‘I’m itching to get out there’- Pat Cummins set for return vs RR, takes back SRH captaincy

Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to receive a timely boost ahead of their eighth IPL 2026 fixture against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, with Pat Cummins ready to return after recovering from a back injury. The Australian all-rounder, who had been sidelined since the early part of the season, expressed his eagerness to get back on the field.

“I feel excited. I feel like I've watched too much cricket lately without playing, so I'm itching to get out there. Yeah, stinging to get out there,” Cummins said in a video shared by the franchise on X.

During his absence, Ishan Kishan stepped in as captain and guided the side through the opening seven matches. Cummins acknowledged the stand-in skipper’s impact, praising both his energy and tactical awareness, while also joking about one aspect of his leadership.

"Boys have been on fire. It's been great to watch, so hopefully I can add something. I think for the most part, Ishan was good. I think when it comes to tosses, he was absolutely terrible. But outside of that, he was excellent. You know, he's been brewing, lots of energy, really good tactical moves from, you know, looking from the outside in,” he said.

“He's obviously a great thinker of the game. And alongside, you know, Abhishek out there as well, they've been running it, and it looks pretty smooth. So yeah, when I'm out there, I'm sure I'll be leaning on those guys as well. But yeah, well done, Ishan, he's been awesome,” he added.

Cummins also reflected on the demands of fast bowling in the IPL, noting how challenging the format can be while highlighting the strong performances from SRH’s younger bowlers this season.

“IPL is a very tough place for fast bowlers, but I thought, I think all our guys have been exceptional. You know, a few of the young guys have come in,” he said.

“I think it's, well, I've certainly found it really hard to find the pace of IPL. Those guys look like they've, you know, hit it straight away. They've got the feel of the game. They're sequencing their variations brilliantly so far. So, you know, they already look like the complete players. It's not going to happen perfectly every game, but they've had a great start,” he added.

Cummins had travelled to India ahead of the season but did not feature in the initial matches. He returned to Australia shortly after SRH’s thrilling win over Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2 to undergo scans on his back. Having now cleared his fitness test on Friday, the 32-year-old is set to rejoin the playing XI and reclaim captaincy duties from Kishan.

Under Kishan’s leadership, SRH have secured four wins from seven matches and currently sit fourth on the points table with eight points and a healthy net run rate of +0.820. With Cummins back in the mix, the side will look to build on that momentum as the tournament progresses.