Pat Cummins to be sacked as SRH captain? Franchise makes official announcement
Published - 17 Nov 2025, 09:06 PM | Updated - 17 Nov 2025, 09:08 PM
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On Monday, November 17, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made an official announcement regarding the captaincy for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) announced that the World Cup-winning captain, Pat Cummins, will continue as their skipper in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Pat Cummins to continue as captain
The 32-year-old Australia National Cricket Team pacer Pat Cummins is regarded as one of the best players in world cricket. He is known for his bowling masterclass and tactical brilliance and has already won a 50-over World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship as captain.
Seeing his success as the Australia skipper, Sunrisers Hyderabad broke their bank at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction and acquired his services for a whopping INR 20.50 crore.
They named him captain for IPL 2024, and under his leadership, SRH played an exceptional brand of cricket and made it to the final. However, they couldn't win the title and lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, there was a significant drop in their performance, and they finished in sixth place on the points table.
Meanwhile, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have once again put their faith in him, and Pat Cummins will lead the side in his third consecutive season in IPL 2026.
"P.S. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. Pat Cummins | #PlayWithFire," the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) wrote on X, confirming the Australia pacer as captain.
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) November 17, 2025
Pat Cummins ruled out of the first Ashes Test
Cummins has not been seen in action in competitive cricket since July 2025, as he was sidelined with a lumbar bone stress injury. This injury ruled him out of several matches, including the entire India series as well as the Ashes 2025-26 opener.
However, ahead of the first Test, he returned to full-tilt bowling in Perth nets, which came as a massive boost for the Australia National Cricket Team.
In his column for the BBC, the legendary Glenn McGrath said that losing Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for the Perth Test is a huge blow for the Aussies. He stated:
"The first Ashes Test is only days away and I am hearing a lot of talk about the Australia team supposedly being in disarray over selection decisions. Clearly, losing two quality fast bowlers in Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to injuries is a huge spanner in the works, doubly so when Cummins is the captain.But what team wouldn't suffer if they lost two key players? England did not have Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer in the side for their last Test, against India at The Oval in July. They lost."
I do wonder about the process that has led to both Cummins and Hazlewood being made unavailable - Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath further said that things have changed a lot in modern-day cricket as the bowlers undergo routine scans and are not asked to push through and play. He stated:
"I do wonder about the process that has led to both Cummins and Hazlewood being made unavailable for the first Test. It feels like things have changed so much in the decision-making surrounding players, that backroom staff and those outside the dressing room might have too much influence.
"We did not have routine scans. If you were not quite at 100%, but felt you could push through and play, you played. Now there is a trend to err on the side of caution. If a player feels a niggle, he is told to rest."
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