Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) could face a massive setback ahead of IPL 2027, as captain Pat Cummins is seriously considering taking a break from the tournament next year. The Australian skipper is expected to face one of the busiest phases of his career over the next 18 months.
This might force Cummins to scarify his IPL 2027 participation. The Australian fast bowler has become a key player for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and he even took the side to the IPL final in 2024. He joined SRH late because of recovery but played a key role in taking them to the IPL 2026 playoffs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad face big worry as Pat Cummins considers IPL 2027 break
As Australia’s packed international calendar approaches, Pat Cummins, who scalped eight wickets in eight games for SRH this season, is not sure about his participation in the next IPL 2027 season. Australia’s extremely demanding schedule in 2027 begins with a high-profile four-match Test tour of India in January and February 2027.
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After the India tour, Australia will take part in the one-off Test match against England in Melbourne to celebrate 150 years of Test cricket. Then, they will move straight into the five-match Ashes series before shifting focus to the ICC World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
I need some sort of break before Ashes: Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins is carefully evaluating how much workload his body can handle. The Australian captain has made it clear that Test cricket and the ICC World Cup 2027 are his top priority; as a result, the IPL 2027 could be the tournament that he is highly likely to skip to stay fresh for Australia.
Pat Cummins was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald, “Something has got to give at some stage next year, and it’s not going to be Test matches or an ODI World Cup. I will make a call a lot closer and work with the franchise to see what makes sense. Things can change.”
The SRH captain further added, “I’ve had a couple of injuries pop up, so I don’t really want to lock in anything. The priorities for me are always the test matches and that ODI World Cup. I dare say if I play all of India, I need some sort of break before a pretty grueling Ashes series.”
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Pat Cummins sounds alarm over packed schedule; opens up on rotation strategy
Meanwhile, Australia’s senior pacers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are also managing heavy workloads, forcing selectors to think about rotation plans. Australia is scheduled to play 21 Test matches between August 2026 and the start of the ICC World Cup 2027.
With such a packed calendar, managing player fitness has become one of the biggest challenges for the team, and Cummins also admitted the possibility that senior bowlers could be rested during parts of upcoming Test matches to ensure they remain fit for the Ashes and World Cup.
He signed off by saying, “It’s possible. I think we’re fairly open-minded to anything, as we’ve seen over the last couple of years. I see a world where we’re potentially winding some bowlers down, even say at the back end of an Indian series if they don’t look like they’re going to play, to give them an extra rest ahead of the Ashes. It’s going to be a big push the next 18 months or so, but I think we’ll look back on it hopefully and see it as one of the more rewarding periods of our career.”
