Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Daniel Vettori has stated that Pat Cummins is likely to return to play in the later part of April after displaying positive signs in training.
Cummins, the designated captain for SRH in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is currently recovering from a back injury.
The pacer returned to Australia from the IPL 2026 camp for a final scan on his back, according to an ESPNcricinfo report. Vettori confirmed at the pre-match press conference ahead of SRH's clash with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday that Cummins is scheduled for a scan on April 15.
"Pat, very clear, as part of his schedule, he has to have a scan just to clear everything off on April 15th, and all going well because he’s trained with us and he’s looked really good. He’ll rejoin the team and have a slow build-up to hopefully play in the game in the back end of April," Vettori said.
According to the report, Cummins' scan is a planned procedure supervised by Cricket Australia (CA). He left India following SRH's recent match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Thursday and is expected to rejoin the squad on April 17, pending clearance from CA.
Since July last year, Cummins has been largely inactive except for a single Ashes Test appearance in Adelaide. He has indicated that he has resumed bowling in the nets and is gradually increasing his workload under a structured rehabilitation plan.
In Cummins' absence, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is captaining SRH for the 2026 IPL season. SRH began their IPL campaign with a six-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru but recorded a strong 65-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in their second game.