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Sunrisers Hyderabad (Source: AFP)
In a significant development, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have confirmed that Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins will continue as the team’s captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The franchise made the announcement through a post on its official X handle. This will be Cummins' third straight season as SRH skipper.
SRH appointed Cummins as captain in 2024 after signing him for a massive ₹20.50 crore at the IPL auction. Before joining SRH, Cummins had earlier featured for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC).
Talking about the upcoming season, SRH have retained their the core group that played a major role in their rise during recent years for IPL 2026. The explosive opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head were retained for the upcoming season. Along with the openers, SRH also retained Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy and more.
However, SRH made a few major changes ahead of the new season. In a significant move, they traded senior pacer Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants and released spinners Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar.
It is worth noting that SRH finished sixth last season with six wins, seven losses, and so they missed out on the playoffs. With Cummins set to lead once again, SRH will hope to bounce back strongly in 2026.
Pat Cummins recovering from an injury
It is important to note that Pat Cummins is currently recovering from a lumbar stress fracture and has been ruled out of the opening Ashes Test in Perth. Australia’s star batter Steve Smith will lead the national side in the series opener against England on November 21.
However, team management expects Cummins to be fit in time for the second Test in Brisbane starting December 4. Despite the injury setback, SRH have shown complete confidence in his leadership and long-term value to the franchise.
