Pat Cummins ‘Unfortunate’ to Miss Out on T20 World Cup; IPL 2026 Comeback Also Shrouded in Doubt

Pat Cummins has opened up about missing out on the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, deeming it unfortunate to miss out on the marquee cricketing spectacle.

Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins was ruled out of the tournament due to a bad injury for the past few months. The last time he was in action was during the Ashes series, where he featured in one of the five Test matches.

Cummins could not recover in time and has missed out on key competitions like the Ashes series, the Pakistan T20Is and the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

Pat Cummins Regrets Missing T20 World Cup

Pat Cummins expressed disappointment at missing the T20 World Cup, calling his back injury a minor setback and noting that he ran out of time to recover for the marquee event.

The Australian captain added that following the Adelaide Test, he had the idea that it would take him four to eight weeks to recover and let the bone settle well. He also said that the follow-up scans showed he would require a couple more weeks, making the comeback timeline tighter.

"It was really unfortunate. I feel pretty good, just a minor setback, and just ran out of time, really. I'll rest up for a few weeks and go from there.

"We knew after the (Adelaide) Test match we were going to need somewhere between four and eight weeks to let the bone settle right down before then building back up. Initially, we thought it might only be four weeks because I was feeling really good, but just had a follow-up scan. They thought it probably needs another couple of weeks, so the timeline just became a bit too tight," Pat Cummins said to the AAP.

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Cummins' IPL 2026 Comeback Remains Uncertain

While the T20 World Cup is off the page, doubts have mounted over Pat Cummins' comeback in the upcoming IPL 2026 season.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad captain has revealed that the possibility of his comeback in IPL 2026 would depend on his back. He is hopeful of being fit for the marquee domestic cricketing event in India.

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"We'll just be guided by my back. We'll have another scan in a few weeks, and if it's good, then we'll have a slow build-up. T20s are a little bit easier to get up for, that's why I was so close to getting up for this World Cup," Cummins added.

Australia kicks off its T20 World Cup group-stage campaign against Ireland at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.