SRH IPL 2026: SunRisers Hyderabad have suffered a setback even before the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as the team’s captain, Pat Cummins will miss the opening few matches due to injury. The team made the confirmation on Wednesday, mentioning that the Australian fast pacer is recovering from a persistent back issue, which had also prevented him from participating in the T20 World Cup. 

Owing to the same, the franchise has handed over the captaincy to wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. It said it had immense confidence in Kishan’s ability to guide the 2016 champions during Cummins’ absence. 

Take a look at the franchise's official Tweet below:

https://twitter.com/SunRisers/status/2034226563965968747

Kishan known for aggressive batting

Kishan’s elevation comes in the backdrop of an impressive leadership stint with his state Jharkhand, whom he steered to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy triumph in 2025. The cricketer is known for his aggressive batting and sharp cricketing acumen, and has consistently delivered spectacular performances in the shorter format. 

Meanwhile, Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has been appointed the Vice-captain. 

[caption id="attachment_1246" align="alignnone" width="1200"] SunRisers Hyderabad[/caption]

Cummins had taken over as SRH skipper in 2024

Notably, Cummins, who captains Australia in test matches and One-Day Internationals (ODIs), had taken over as the captain of SunRisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2024. The team, under his leadership, made it to the Qualifier 2 round, and finished at the sixth place in the following season. SRH’s bowling unit may experience the void due to his absence. 

SRH boast a power-packed batting line-up

Despite facing the setback, SRH boast a formidable batting line-up, featuring Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen and Liam Livingstone. The team is well-known for shattering batting records in recent seasons, and the fans are bracing for another display of explosive cricket. Head and Abhishek’s opening duo will be under the spotlight to replicate their record-breaking performances from the 2024 edition. 

SRH squad for IPL 2026

The IPL 2026 squad for SRH includes Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Smaran Ravichandaran, Travis Head, Zeeshan Ansari, Salil Arora, Shivang Kumar, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Amit Kumar, Krains Fuletra, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Praful Hinge, and Shivam Mavi. Also read: T20 International: Kiwis defeat South Africa by 68 runs to level series at 1-1