A significant positive development for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2026 has been the medical clearance of captain Pat Cummins to resume bowling. The information was made public on April 16 by Cricket Australia, following an examination that revealed his back complaint had been healed. It was announced that Cummins has passed the necessary scans to return. In a statement issued, it was confirmed, "Pat Cummins has been given the all-clear to resume bowling without restrictions following fresh scans on his back in Sydney.” It went on to add, “Cummins' latest set of scans confirmed the back stress issue that limited him to a single match of professional cricket since last August has now resolved.” The skipper will now presumably fly to India to join his SRH teammates. The Australian pacer had been unavailable for the initial five IPL 2026 games while undergoing his management plan to aid recovery from the back problem, a persistent issue since August 2023. The bowler had previously announced during the SRH pre-season media interactions, "I'm back bowling we've mapped out a plan to get me right by the middle of the tournament. So hopefully, if nothing goes wrong, I'll play the back half, plus the final." His injury had also seen him sidelined during the T20 World Cup and he had been limited in the Ashes. He had even been briefly spotted at the SRH pre-season camp prior to his return home for final testing. Also Read | Woman Security Guard Loses ₹52,000 in Fake IPL Ticket Scam at Chinnaswamy Stadium Unlikely to Feature Against CSK, Targets Later Return While Cummins has been declared fit, he is not expected to be back in the playing XI right away. Reports say that the SRH skipper is aiming to make a return later on in the tournament. The objective is to ensure he has enough match fitness. “Cummins' cautious approach to returning has him targeting the April 25 match against Rajasthan Royals for his return to the playing XI,” the update said. It is evident from the statement that he is going to miss out against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). There are no chances of the SRH management to rush him back and try to get his match fitness back in pace first. As he returns to the team, it is also expected that he will lead SRH once again and Ishan Kishan will then give up the captaincy which he held for his side in his absence. SRH, in the recent past, have been showing some good form after an inconsistent start to the season,. They won comfortably against the Rajasthan Royals recently. The team had an all rounder performance, as young players Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain were impressive with their performance. Cummins' inclusion in the second half of the IPL 2026 is going to benefit SRH's bowling attack as the race to the playoffs takes off.