“Big question mark on Pat Cummins” - Former RCB star’s massive claim on SRH ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star AB de Villiers raised a huge concern regarding SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Cummins' fitness will be a major concern for SRH ahead of the upcoming season.

Notably, Cummins has been ruled out of the first Ashes 2025-26 Test due to a back stress injury. Cummins will continue as SRH captain for IPL 2026, as announced by the franchise. However, it remains to be seen whether he can maintain his fitness and participate in the tournament. They also traded out pacer Mohammad Shami.

Therefore, De Villiers reckoned that SRH would need some experience in their pace attack. That said, he reflected that they maintained their core, and there was no reason for panic.

"They've kept some of their key players. Big question mark on Pat Cummins. Will he be ready after the Ashes? Will he be fresh and fit? With Shami gone, they will need some experience and firepower with the ball in there. They've played some decent cricket but ran out of steam. They've kept a decent bulk and no real reason to panic, I believe," he said on his YouTube channel.

Among the big and shocking releases ahead of the IPL 2026 auction was that of Andre Russell by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He was retained for ₹12 crore last season. De Villiers reflected that he was among their key players over the years. He felt that the move indicated KKR wanted to take a fresh approach.

"Huge news was Andre Russell. He has been the main couch for many years. lt seems they want to freshen up the side and shake things up. It will be interesting to see how they get the balance right alongside the spin twins Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy. Get a fast bowler or two in there," he stated.

Russell played 133 IPL matches for KKR. He scored 2593 runs at a strike-rate of 174.97 and bagged 122 wickets. He played a vital role when they won the title in 2024.

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AB de Villiers reflects on Lucknow Super Giants trading in Arjun Tendulkar and Mohammad Shami ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) traded in Mohammad Shami from SRH and Arjun Tendulkar from the Mumbai Indians (MI). AB de Villiers reckoned that having a left-arm pacer in Arjun was good for the team.

He hoped that the young pacer would get opportunities and have a breakthrough season. Arjun was a part of MI's setup for the last three seasons but played only five matches overall. As LSG have injury concerns with a lot of their Indian pacers, Arjun could get a go this season.

De Villiers also reckoned that having Shami was a huge plus, despite his form not being so great in the IPL last year.

"Nice to have Arjun in the mix. Hopefully, this will be a breakthrough season for him. I think Shami will be a win. Even though he is in the back end of his career, we know he loves the pressure. He can be consistent and bowls wicket to wicket. I think he will be really good at the wicket there. A good signing there I believe. I'm not incredibly excited about the bulk of the team. They've got some work to do at the auction. Not bad players but I don't think it is a tournament-winning retention group. Nothing that makes me feel like they will go all the way so they will have to be smart at the auction," he said.

LSG have a decent purse of ₹22.95 crore heading into the IPL 2026 auction with six slots remaining.