Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has opined that Sunrisers Hyderabad will miss the services of Pat Cummins in the initial phase of IPL 2026. Cummins is yet to fully recover from his injury and in his absence, Ishan Kishan will lead the franchise.
SRH has bowlers like Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, and Ehsan Malinga. Furthermore, the Orange Army has the services of Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Omkar Tarmale, and Zeeshan Ansari.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “His absence will definitely impact how the game is managed. When a young player comes under pressure, they tend to look towards a senior player for guidance. Not having him regularly in the dressing room at the start will also be difficult for Hyderabad. So, from that perspective, his absence will certainly be felt.”
Pathan said SRH will miss Cummins, both as a bowler and as a captain, in the early phase of the tournament.
“Pat Cummins not being there at the start is a big factor. His bowling and his captaincy have always been exceptional, and his leadership is often talked about. Last year, he matched Harshal Patel with 16 wickets. Even before that, he had taken 18 wickets in a season. His batting is also very important. When he comes in around number eight, he can hit big shots, and the aggression that has been instilled in Hyderabad has largely come from Captain Cummins.”
The former all-rounder said giving captaincy to Ishan Kishan makes sense. In 2025, Kishan led Jharkhand to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy glory, scoring 517 runs in 10 matches of the domestic tournament.
“This time, due to the absence of Pat Cummins, you’ll get to see Ishan Kishan as the captain. Ishan Kishan’s graph is on an upward trajectory. While playing for Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he led the team as captain and lifted the trophy. Now, the responsibility will be on him.
“We also saw in the World Cup that he delivered outstanding batting performances. When a player has that kind of confidence, giving him the captaincy makes sense. There were also discussions that Abhishek Sharma could be made captain. He has been appointed as vice-captain by Hyderabad, but it is better to go with Ishan Kishan,” he added.
Kishan recently scored 317 runs in nine matches of the T20 World Cup 2026 at an average of 35.22 and a strike rate of 193.29.
The IPL 2026 season will begin with reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Ahmedabad, on March 28.
