Jaipur, Apr 26: Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins called teenage batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his "new favourite player."

He praised the 15-year-old’s fearless style of play, even though Cummins led Sunrisers Hyderabad to victory in his return from injury during IPL 2026.

“I think he’s my new favourite player,” Cummins said after the match. “He hits the ball so hard, it’s great to watch, it’s good fun. You’ve got to be right on the money as a bowler because if you’re not, it’s going a long way. He’s impressive, he’s had a great start to his career and I like the way he plays, he takes the game on.”

Cummins, coming back from a back injury that disrupted his Ashes summer, faced a tough start when Suryavanshi hit his very first delivery for a six over mid-wicket. Giving up 11 runs in his opening over, it briefly seemed like another difficult night for bowlers in a tournament filled with high scores.

However, the Australian fast bowler responded impressively. He finished with figures of 1-27, improving his lines by conceding just seven runs in his final two overs. He also delivered a perfect yorker to dismiss Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag, a moment that likely reassured Australia’s selectors after his long layoff

Even as an opponent, Sooryavanshi made a strong impression. The teenager scored a remarkable century off just 36 balls, having reached his fifty in only 15 deliveries.

For Cummins, this match was a satisfying return after nearly 10 months of dealing with back issues. This period was only briefly interrupted by a six-wicket haul during the Adelaide Ashes Test.

“I’m really happy. I was never quite sure how it would play out in the first game,” he admitted. “I pick it up better than I did 10 years ago.

“The IPL’s fun. You always have to change the fields and use the bowlers. The batters constantly make you think. So, I enjoyed it; it felt pretty natural.”

His comeback also took place during an IPL season that has been tough for bowlers, with high-scoring games becoming common. Cummins took this challenge in stride, even joking about it.

“I guess you just work on your batting,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a good challenge. You might have a bad couple of overs, but if you come back and bowl a really good death over, that can win the match. I actually think it somewhat takes the pressure off us bowlers, knowing our batting lineup can chase down whatever.

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“The wickets might be flat, but it’s only 20 overs; it’s not a Test match that lasts five days. So, I’m okay with that, a maximum of four overs. It is what it is. We build our team to focus on strong batting, and as bowlers, it’s our job to keep the runs down. The scores look a bit different than a few years ago, but the idea remains the same.

“You feel like all four overs are super important. One wicket or one solid over can be as crucial as a good spell in a lower-scoring game.”

In the chase for 229 runs, Travis Head fell early after being outplayed by Jofra Archer. However, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan led Sunrisers Hyderabad to a vital win, moving them to third on the points table.

(IANS)