Pat Cummins is expected to arrive with Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 17—one day before SRH host Chennai Super Kings at home—but the fast bowler will not be part of the playing XI immediately. His return is pencilled in for April 25, when the franchise travels to Jaipur to take on Rajasthan Royals, giving SRH a clear timeline for how they will manage their leadership and bowling resources around the intervening fixtures.
SRH head coach Daniel Vettori confirmed that Cummins is due to rejoin the group after travel, saying he “will be with us this evening,” and that the team’s intention is to have him available from the 25th. The schedule aligns with the broad plan Cummins had already shared before the season began, when he described a recovery window aimed at the later part of the IPL. Cummins had said he was back to bowling and was working through a rhythm of sessions roughly every third day, with a pathway designed to bring him into full readiness around the middle stages of the tournament—leaving him, barring any setbacks, in contention for the back end and the final.
Cummins initially linked up with SRH on March 27, a day after the franchise’s season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He then remained with the squad for SRH’s next match against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2, after which he travelled to Kolkata with the team. Following that trip, Cummins returned to Australia to complete a fitness assessment, and he is now set to rejoin the SRH contingent.
With Cummins unavailable early on, SRH faced challenges in finding the right pace combination during the opening stretch of the competition. Those questions were eventually answered through two debutants, Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, who produced decisive spells and finished with four-wicket hauls against Rajasthan Royals. Vettori said he was pleased with the way the pair delivered in that outing, yet he also suggested that SRH may tweak their approach when they step up against CSK, depending on what the surface and conditions look like on the day.
While speaking about the prospects of alterations, Vettori stressed that tactics would likely shift even if the core bowling group remains effective. He pointed out that SRH will be playing on the same ground as in their prior match, but noted Hyderabad’s heat has been intense and could influence how the wicket behaves compared to the previous game. In that scenario, he explained that the team would assess the conditions again and could make changes, while keeping the adjustments tactical—especially since the bowling unit had been so impactful in the last contest.
Vettori also singled out the bowling performance itself, highlighting the standout figure of 9 for 5 as the most impressive element. He added that the ability to execute under pressure, particularly against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal—players who had turned into a highly successful opening partnership—was especially notable. Vettori remarked that the pair appeared to approach the spell without fear, sticking closely to their plans, and he acknowledged that while those batters had been successful, it was still striking to see the confidence from bowlers who, in his view, may not have bowled to them previously at the same level, except perhaps in domestic settings. He concluded that while plans do not always come off, having them work out in such fashion is immensely satisfying.
