IPL 2026: Why Pat Cummins left SRH camp and travelled back home - EXPLAINED

NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad star pacer Pat Cummins has returned home to undergo a scan on his injured back, as reported by ESPNcricinfo on Saturday. Cummins, who was ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a lumbar bone stress injury, had briefly joined the SRH camp for light training but has now travelled back for a final assessment.According to ESPNcricinfo, the scan is a pre-scheduled one and will be conducted under the supervision of Cricket Australia (CA). Ishan Kishan, who was appointed captain in Cummins’ absence, will continue to lead the side. Cummins left for Australia at the end of SRH’s last game. The Australian speedster could rejoin the team on April 17.This means he is set to miss three matches during this period - against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 5, Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 11, and Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 13.Cummins had earlier indicated that he expects to be fit for the second half of the IPL if his recovery stays on track."I'm still recovering from a back injury, but it's good. I'm back bowling in the nets. The IPL is starting soon. I won't make the start of that, but it shouldn't be too long before I'm back out there playing,” Cummins had said on the Business of Sports podcast before joining the SRH camp last month."I'm back bowling. I'm bowling basically every third day at the moment. We've mapped out a plan to get me right by [the] middle of the tournament." Sunrisers Hyderabad have played two matches in the tournament so far, winning one and losing one.They went down to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets in their opening game but bounced back strongly to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs.