Pat Cummins Injured; 3 Players Who Can Replace SRH Captain In IPL 2025

Debashis Sarangi

Pat Cummins plays for SRH in IPL [Source: IPLT20.com]Pat Cummins plays for SRH in IPL [Source: IPLT20.com]

In a significant development, Australian captain Pat Cummins is all set to be ruled out of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan and UAE. Notably, Cummins hasn't recovered from an ankle injury he sustained during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on home soil. 

According to Australian coach Andrew McDonald, Cummins is highly unlikely to feature in the Champions Trophy, starting from February 19. Given that he is a valuable asset for his country from the WTC final's perspective, it won't be surprising if Cricket Australia prevents him from participating in the Indian Premier League, which starts on March 21. 

So, considering Cummins is racing against time to get fit, here are three fast bowlers Sunrisers Hyderabad might rope in as his replacements. 

1. Mustafizur Rahman

  • Bangladesh's premier fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman set a base price of INR 2 Crores. However, the experienced seamer went unsold in the mega auction last year. 
  • In 57 IPL matches, Mustafizur has scalped 61 wickets at a strike rate of 21.28. Furthermore, he was impressive with the ball for CSK last season, bagging 14 wickets in nine matches. 
  • With Mohammed Shami leading SRH's pace attack, Mustafizur can be a valuable addition to their IPL 2025 squad, courtesy of his hard-length bowling. He has previously represented the franchise, scalping 17 wickets in as many outings. 

2. Jason Behrendorff

  • As Pat Cummins was supposed to open the bowling with Mohammed Shami for SRH, the franchise might think of replacing him with a powerplay specialist. In such a scenario, Australia's premier fast bowler Jason Behrendorff could be under consideration. 
  • Behrendorff, who had a base price of 1.5 Crores for the mega auction, has played 17 IPL matches, scalping 19 wickets at a strike rate of 19.26. He was the most successful BBL 2024-25 bowler, with 17 wickets in just ten innings at an average of 17.41 for Perth Scorchers. 

3. Naveen-ul-Haq

  • Afghanistan's ace pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has been a regular face in franchise leagues across the world. In 216 T20 innings, the right-arm speedster has scalped 259 wickets at a healthy strike rate of 17.4. 
  • More importantly, Naveen was a part of the Indian Premier League in the past. In 17 IPL innings for Lucknow SuperGiants, Naveen scalped 25 wickets at a strike rate of 15.48. Besides making the new ball talk, Naveen can be a useful weapon in the middle and death overs. So, his experience and ability to excel across phases might tempt SRH to draft him into their squad if Cummins misses the IPL 2025.