Sunrisers Hyderabad have turned to South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee after yet another overseas seamer went down. The 25-year-old all-rounder joins for the rest of IPL 2026, replacing David Payne, and will be paid INR 2 crore.
Payne’s campaign barely got going. The left-armer, 35, leaked 70 runs in five overs across two outings before an ankle injury ruled him out. “David felt a sharp tug in the joint after his second spell; scans showed a grade-two sprain, so there’s no realistic chance of him bowling again this season,” SRH physio Fiona Lobo said in a media note.
The Englishman himself was a stand-in, drafted when Australia’s Jack Edwards withdrew pre-tournament with a foot problem. England’s Brydon Carse followed soon after, fracturing a hand during a net session and failing to appear at all. Sri Lanka’s left-armer Dilshan Madushanka has already filled that gap.
Coetzee offers some respite. The Bloemfontein-born quick impressed on Mumbai Indians’ run in 2024 (13 wickets in ten matches) and had a shorter spell with Gujarat Titans last year. More recently he bagged 3 for 31 in South Africa’s March T20I win in Wellington – form that caught SRH’s eye. “It’s never ideal to join a side mid-way, but I’m ready to hit the ground running,” Coetzee said through Cricket South Africa.
Head coach Daniel Vettori welcomed the signing. “Gerald gives us pace and a bit of lower-order muscle – both will be handy on the Hyderabad surface,” he noted, adding that workload management would be “front of mind” given the franchise’s growing injury list.
There is better news on Pat Cummins. The Australian captain, sidelined by a sore back, has been cleared after scans in Sydney and is expected to fly in later this week. If all goes smoothly, he could return against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on 25 April. “Pat’s chomping at the bit,” Vettori said. “We’ll see how he pulls up after a couple of sessions.”
After five matches SRH sit fifth – two wins, three defeats – leaving little room for further slip-ups. Saturday’s fixture against Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is labelled “must-win” inside the camp, though the players have resisted that tag publicly. Senior batter Aiden Markram kept it simple: “We’ve played some good cricket in patches; now it’s about stringing a full performance together.”
Whether Coetzee debuts immediately hinges on paperwork and a final training assessment, but with Payne already on the plane home, SRH may not have the luxury of waiting.
