Top News

Daniel Vettori says Pat Cummins fit while managing bowling loads
27 Mar 2026

Sunrisers Hyderabad's head coach Daniel Vettori has given an update on pacer Pat Cummins's fitness.

He said that while Cummins is fit, he is currently working on his bowling loads.

"His fitness has been exceptional," Vettori said in a pre-match press conference.

The coach added that the only challenge for Cummins was building up his bowling loads after getting the all-clear from Cricket Australia.

Cummins return timeline in 10-12 days
Fitness progress

Vettori explained that Cummins has had ample time to work on his fitness, given his long absence from the game.

He said, "It's a bit of a painstaking process to get the lungs up to where he feels confident and strong about bowling."

The coach hopes to have a definitive timeline for Cummins's return in the next 10-12 days.

Uncapped trio vie for spots
Team selection

Vettori also spoke about three uncapped Indian batters - R. Smaran, Salil Arora, and Aniket Verma - who are all vying for spots in the playing XI.

He said Smaran is probably in the best form among anyone in India while praising Arora's performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and warm-up games.

The coach said they have to balance their fifth and sixth bowler options against a strong Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batting line-up.

Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma are SRH's leaders
Leadership roles

Vettori also spoke about the leadership roles in his team, saying stand-in captain Ishan Kishan and his deputy Abhishek Sharma form the right leadership group.

He praised Kishan's experience in IPL and past leadership roles with under-19s and state teams.

The coach said both players are good friends who know the team exceptionally well, adding they will lead from the front.