Players from only those IPL2026 teams who would likely fight against Chennai Super Kings or teams fighting against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) would land right in Hyderabad on the return day, i.e., on Friday. However, (an?) Australian paceman is more likely to feature than landed by the game against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, only on April 25.

SRH head coach Daniel Vettori confirmed Cummins’s return. “He’s flying today, so he should be with us this evening,” Vettori remarked, targeting the Jaipur match for his return to an SRH playing XI.

Cummins had previously hinted that he was eyeing an early return in the tournament. “I’m back bowling every third day and we’ve mapped out a plan to get me ready by mid-season. Hopefully, I’ll be available for the second half, including the final,” he said just before the start of the T20 cricket extravaganza.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain in question had initially joined the team on March 27, just before his team’s opening game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He stayed with them for their second game, against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2. After this extra trip to Australia to re-assess his back injury, he returned clear for joining the squad again.

In Cummins’ absence, SRH initially struggled with finding a right combination of pace. However, they achieved a breakthrough in their last encounter. Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, who were making their IPL debuts, delivered brilliant displays, each taking four wickets in the game against Rajasthan Royals.

Despite a sterling display with the ball, Vettori hinted that SRH may tinker with their combination for the next match against CSK, given the pitch conditions.

“We’re very happy with how the bowling unit performed, but we’ll reassess conditions. It’s the same venue, but the heat in Hyderabad could impact the surface, so there might be some tactical adjustments,” he stated.

During the post-game conference, skipper Williamson vouched for the bowlers who attacked the hosts with much pizzazz, against Rajasthan’s established openers. `Most impressive was our nine wickets for five runs! Stands like that were of tremendous execution and confidence about playing any strong opening unit,” he said.

The arrival of Cummins nearby signals the return of some momentum to SRH in the critical mid-phase for the season of IPL.