The Australian cricketers Pat Cummins and Travis Head are poised to rejoin the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad as the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season resumes on 17th May. Both players had left India along with other foreign players when the IPL paused on 9th May due to heightened tensions with Pakistan.
Though selected for Australia’s Test squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at Lord’s on 11th June, Cummins and Head have shown willingness to return to India. This raises some eyebrows as SRH, currently ranked eighth in the IPL standings, are out of playoff contention with only three wins in 11 games. Yet, Cummins appears committed to his role as SRH captain. “Pat has a responsibility as captain of the franchise and is looking at returning,” Cummins’ manager, Neil Maxwell, stated to News Corp.
Ben Oliver, head of national teams for Cricket Australia, commented on the challenging circumstances, saying the board is willing to “work with players on their individual decisions to return to India or not” within the next couple of days.
There are still no updates regarding the return of SRH’s other overseas players like Heinrich Klaasen and Eshan Malinga. Wiaan Mulder, another overseas player, is included in South Africa’s squad for the WTC final, further complicating his potential return.
SRH, runners-up in the previous IPL season, have faced difficulties this year. Their remaining matches are away, facing Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow (19th May), Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru (23rd May), and Kolkata Knight Riders in Delhi (25th May).
The IPL organisers confirmed the revised schedule on 12th May, outlining 13 remaining league matches and four playoff contests. The league’s concluding stages will take place across six venues: Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. While the playoff venues await confirmation, the scheduled dates are already set: Qualifier 1 on 29th May, the Eliminator on 30th May, Qualifier 2 on 1st June, and the final on 3rd June.
For more detailed analysis, catch up with cricket expert Nagraj Gollapudi, news editor at ESPNcricinfo.
