IPL 2026: RR vs SRH: Who will captain Pat Cummins replace in the playing XI?
Pat Cummins and Riyan Parag (Source: Getty Images)
Published - 25 Apr 2026, 02:38 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have received a major boost ahead of their eighth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Pat Cummins is available for selection and will play the first match of his season against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, April 25.
Cummins will take leadership duties from Ishan Kishan, who was named stand-in captain and was leading SRH in the Aussie's absence.
Cummins is making a return to competitive cricket after an injury layoff of four months. He was a part of Australia's playing XI that won the Adelaide Test in the Ashes in December last year. As the Aussies took an unassailable lead (3-0) following their 82-run win, Cummins was advised to rest by Cricket Australia's medical panel.
Earlier, he was out of action for several months due to lumbar bone stress after experiencing back soreness during Australia's tour of the Caribbean in June-July last year.
He was expected to be a part of Australia's T20 World Cup squad but failed to regain full fitness in time and was subsequently ruled out.
Even though he was unavailable for selection, the 32-year-old was in the SRH camp during the initial few games. He was seen working his way through fitness drills and building bowling workload in the lead-up to SRH's matches.
He then had to fly back to Australia to undergo scans and came back to rejoin SRH once he was cleared of any stress damage, after scans conducted by Cricket Australia.
Who will Pat Cummins replace in SRH's playing XI?
Cummins is likely to replace left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka in SRH's playing XI for the game against Rajasthan. Madushanka joined SRH as an injury replacement for Brydon Carse. Carse had injured his right hand while batting in a training session and was ruled out for the entire tournament.
Madushanka played SRH's last game against Delhi Capitals (DC) and was a tad expensive. He conceded 36 runs in four overs at an economy rate of 9.00 and picked up the wicket of his compatriot, Pathum Nissanka.
Madushanka's Sri Lankan teammate Eshan Malinga is the leading wicket-taker for SRH this season. The right-arm pacer has claimed 12 wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 9.43. Therefore, he is likely to retain his place.
