Sunrisers Hyderabad’s injury list lengthened on Thursday, with left-arm seamer David Payne ruled out of the rest of IPL 2026 after damaging his right ankle. Payne had been drafted in for the injured Jack Edwards but managed only two outings: 2 for 35 in three overs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and 0 for 35 in two overs versus Kolkata Knight Riders.
The setback arrives two days after England all-rounder Brydon Carse was sidelined by a fractured hand picked up in the nets. Sri Lankan quick Dilshan Madushanka has replaced Carse, though he is yet to bowl a ball for the franchise.
“SRH’s struggles are visible without Cummins,” Ambati Rayudu observed on TV duty earlier this week, a verdict echoed by fellow panellist Aaron Finch. Pat Cummins, still recuperating from a back scan in Sydney, has now been cleared to re-join the squad and could feature against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on 25 April. While team management insist they will not rush him, his return cannot come soon enough.
In Cummins’ absence, Ishan Kishan has captained a side that sits fourth with two wins from five—level on points with four other teams but marginally ahead on net run rate. Their most recent success over Rajasthan owed much to uncapped pace pair Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, who shared eight wickets and, in doing so, underlined the depth that coaches have highlighted all pre-season.
Head coach Daniel Vettori admitted the latest injury was “not ideal, especially with the balance we’re after”, but backed the bowling group to adapt. The likelihood is that Madushanka partners either Bhuvneshwar Kumar or T Natarajan against Chennai Super Kings in Hyderabad on Saturday, with Payne flying home for treatment.
Ankle injuries of this nature typically require four to six weeks’ rehabilitation, ruling the Gloucestershire left-armer out of the Vitality Blast’s opening rounds as well. Payne, who had spoken of using the IPL to press his T20 World Cup claims, now faces a race against time to regain full fitness before England’s squad is named.
For Sunrisers, the equation is simpler: steer through the next fortnight intact and hope their Australian captain is ready to lend both overs and calm authority to a campaign already buffeted by misfortune.
