New Delhi : Australia captain Pat Cummins reaffirmed that playing Test cricket for his country is his No. 1 priority, with Cummins saying he has not yet decided on his future in the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Cummins led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the final of IPL 2024 when he was bought by the franchise for Rs 20.50 crore, making him the second most expensive player in the history of the tournament. Ahead of the IPL 2025 season, a mega auction is scheduled to take place later this year, in which each team will add a total of six players (maximum five capped players including Indians and foreigners and maximum two uncapped players) from their existing squads through retention or right to match. (RTM) option.
Pat Cummins ” 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 .” pic.twitter.com/o5sFRPrYug
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) October 12, 2024
With the important five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy to be held next month, Cummins is focused on playing for the country. However, the fast bowlers are aware of the new IPL rules for overseas players, which make them 'ineligible to register for the following year's player auction' if they do not register for that season's player auction, while the second rule makes players Bans players for two seasons if the player makes himself unavailable before the start of the season after being selected in the auction.
Cummins told the Sydney Morning Herald, 'I will find out in the next some time how this season looks. There has been a slight change in the rules, but I don't know if it would have affected me in the past, I have never walked out after an auction. But this is another factor to consider with the IPL.
'Test cricket is obviously the No. 1 priority, the World Cup is right there, the calendar is never going to get less busy, and I'm not getting any younger, so those things have always been a consideration, and moving forward,' he said. But there will be more. But needless to say, playing cricket for Australia, especially Test matches, is my number one job and priority.
Cummins expects the upcoming home series against India to be another close match, as the visiting team has won the last two series in Australia.
He said, 'There is always an element in the few home series I have played against India. The previous series was limited to the last session at Gabba on the last day of the last Test match.
The Australian captain said, 'It is a good thing to keep in mind, it is a long series and it can be a tough fight till the last match, so you have to manage your resources.'
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