Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has flown back to Australia to seek medical clearance from Cricket Australia (CA) for his recurring back injury.
He missed the opening two games of the IPL season and will likely remain out until April 17, missing five matches in total.
Cummins joined the Hyderabad camp before the season and bowled actively in the nets, but CA has not yet cleared him for competitive action. He has been out since the third Ashes Test and also missed the T20 World Cup due to the same injury. A fresh scan scheduled under CA’s supervision will determine his fitness and availability for the remainder of the IPL.
Despite Cummins’ absence, SRH’s bowling unit has shown resilience. After losing their opener to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Hyderabad bounced back strongly, defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs. Bowlers Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, and Nitish Kumar Reddy delivered impressive performances, restricting KKR to 161 while defending 227.
Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed criticism of SRH’s bowling, saying the team has a balanced mix of experience and youth. He praised Unadkat, Malinga, and Payne for their consistency and said the bowling attack deserves equal credit alongside the batting lineup.
SRH will face Lucknow Super Giants next, aiming to maintain momentum until Cummins rejoins the squad.
