SRH's David Payne Ruled Out of IPL 2026 with Ankle Injury

"David Payne has been ruled out of TATA IPL 2026 after sustaining an ankle injury. Wishing him a speedy recovery," Franchise wrote on X, confirming his exit. However, the team has not announced his replacement.

Payne, who has played only one ODI for England, having mostly played domestic cricket, was unsold at the IPL 2026 Auction, but he got the opportunity after being named the injury replacement for Australian pacer Jack Edwards in the SRH squad ahead of the season.

Payne was signed on the back of a terrific Big Bash League (BBL), where he claimed 11 wickets in six matches for Perth Scorchers at an economy rate of 7.95. However, he failed to produce the same impact in the IPL before being ruled out of the competition.

He played only two matches for SRH and picked up two wickets, but struggled with a poor economy rate of 14.

Meanwhile, SRH received a big boost on Thursday morning as their designated captain, Pat Cummins, has cleared the fitness test and is set to join the squad soon. Cummins is likely to feature in the SRH vs Rajasthan Royals match on April 25 in Jaipur.

In Cummins' absence, Ishan Kishan is leading the side. Under his captaincy, the team has won two out of five matches in the ongoing season. They are currently placed in fourth position in the points table with a +0.576 net run rate.

SRH defeated the table toppers, Rajasthan Royals (RR), on Monday with the help of a brilliant bowling display by the debutants Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, who took four wickets each as RR got bowled out for just 159 runs in 19 overs while chasing a mammoth target of 217 runs and lost the match by 57 runs. The 2016 winners will next face five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday at their home ground, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.

- IANS