With Pat Cummins ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 due to a back injury, there is some doubt over his availability for the IPL 2026 season. Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope their captain recovers in time, but if he does not, he could miss the IPL as well.
In that case, SRH may have to look for an injury replacement if needed. There are not many fast bowlers available in the market, as most teams picked the top pacers in the auction. However, a few bowlers went unnoticed in the auction and could still be options for any team.
Gus Atkinson of England could be one of the players who could be an injury replacement for Pat Cummins if needed for IPL 2026. The English pacer went unsold in the IPL 2026 auction, having a base price of INR 2 crore.
Earlier, for the 2024 season, he was bought by KKR, but he withdrew due to workload, so he has not made his debut in the IPL yet. He could play a role similar to Cummins, as he can bowl with the new ball and contribute with the bat lower down the order. In T20s, he has taken 72 wickets in 57 innings.
ALSO READ:
The right-arm pacer from South Africa went unsold in the IPL 2026 auction. He had represented Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025 but was released by them after the season. So far, he has played 14 IPL matches and taken 15 wickets.
In total, he has 101 wickets in 80 T20 matches. He played three matches in SA20 2026 and took four wickets. He could also be an option for SRH as a replacement for Pat Cummins if needed. He can bowl with the new ball and can also be used in the middle overs.
The Afghanistan left arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi took 14 wickets in 11 matches during the ILT20 2025–26 season. In December 2025, he went unsold in the IPL 2026 auction. He played for Rajasthan Royals last season, and before that, he represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Overall, he has played 12 IPL matches and taken six wickets so far. He could also be one of the players on SRH’s radar as a possible replacement for Pat Cummins.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
