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Australia's Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has reacted to the new rules and regulations introuduced by the Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council. Over the years, overseas players have been accused of pulling out of the IPL season after the auction as they did not get the desired amount. As a result, they have introduced a two-year ban on those players who pull out of an IPL season without a legitimate reason. However, Cummins made it clear that he has never pulled out of an IPL season after the auction. Australia’s fast-bowling all-rounder who led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to IPL 2024 final also opened up on his IPL future.
"I’ll work out in the next little bit what this season looks like. There’s a bit of a tweak in the rules, but I don’t know whether that would have affected me in the past, I’ve never pulled out after the auction. But it is one more factor to consider with the IPL. Test cricket is the absolute No. 1 priority, World Cups are right up there, and then I think you use them as your tent poles and work out what else makes sense around that," the SRH captain told Sydney Herald.
When Cummins opted out of an IPL season
Earlier, Cummins had opted out of IPL 2023 citing a packed international schedule. However, the decision did not come after the auction but before the retentions. He was associated with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the time. In the previous edition's auction, he was roped in for Rs 7.25 crore.
After missing IPL 2023 and leading Australia to World Test Championship (WTC) 2023, ODI World Cup 2023 titles, he put his name in the auction. He was roped in for a whopping Rs 20.50 crore by SRH, a record for most expensive player which was broken by his teammate Mitchell Starc as he was picked for Rs 24.75 crore by KKR. It is yet to be seen whether SRH retain Cummins ahead of the mega auction. The deadline to announce the retentions is October 31.
Cummins on captaincy future
Meanwhile, Cummins opened about his captaincy future too for the national side. The 31-year-old seems to have surprised himself and intends to lead the team for the next few years. He indicated that he may lead Australia in ODI World Cup 2027 and World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 as well.
"[That’s] still a bit of a wait and see, but maybe I can go a little bit longer than I first thought. I feel like I can manage a lot more than what I did back then, just by getting better at it and having some wonderful people around that help as well. But that might change as well with younger guys coming into the team in the next few years," he said.
"I’m not going to do it forever, but I wouldn’t say it’s imminent that I’m going to step away. [2027] is the big question, but it’s a long way away," he added.
Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 starting on November 26 in Perth, Cummins will play in Sheffield Shield to prepare for the red-ball season.
