"I'm probably going to go into the IPL auction for next year" - Pat Cummins viewing IPL 2024 as an avenue for the 2024 T20 World Cup
Australia skipper Pat Cummins plans to feature in the upcoming IPL mini-auction and play the 2024 season in order to prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the Caribbean and the USA in June. The speedster pulled out of the 2023 IPL season due to a hectic schedule that included the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the Ashes in the space of a few months.
Cummins was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a sum of ₹7.25 crore in the 2022 mega auction, and he also famously fetched ₹15.25 crore at the 2019 auction to become the most expensive foreign player at that time. The two-time IPL winners proceeded to release Cummins along with several other international players, who opted to skip the 2023 edition.
Cummins' last T20I appearance came at the T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 stage. With 2023 primarily witnessing a lot of red-ball and ODI action, the shortest format took a temporary backseat. Noting that the IPL will help him settle back into the format after a prolonged absence, Cummins said ahead of Australia's ODI World Cup semi-final fixture against South Africa:
"I feel like I haven’t played a heap of T20 cricket and in some ways I feel like I haven’t played my best T20 cricket for a little while. I'm really excited, I'm probably going to go into the IPL auction for next year to try to get some games before that World Cup and push a case to not only make the side but get back to how I feel like I can bowl in T20 cricket."
Cummins was among the favorites to lead Australia in the shortest format after Aaron Finch's retirement. However, the pacer was injured ahead of the Aussies' next T20 assignment in South Africa, and the leadership duties went to Mitchell Marsh, who led the team to a ruthless 3-0 whitewash against the Proteas away from home.
Doubting that he will lead the Australian outfit at the 2024 T20 World Cup, Cummins:
"Hopefully playing in it. Captaining, I don't really know. Marshy did a fantastic job in South Africa, so we'll wait and see."
Australia won the 2021 T20 World Cup but failed to defend it on home soil. They could not even qualify for the semi-finals after finishing third in their Super 12s group.
"Potentially, yeah. We'll chat about it" - Pat Cummins on remaining as Australia's ODI captain after the World Cup
Pat Cummins recently led Australia to the World Test Championship (WTC) title and guiding the team to a record-extending sixth ODI World Cup would be an incredible achievement. However, balancing the workload as a pacer and leading the side across two heavy formats is an arduous task.
Stating that he will consider staying on as the ODI captain after the World Cup, Cummins said:
"Potentially, yeah. We'll chat about it. We've been pretty open, me and Andrew and George around different times in the year you're going to have different priorities."
Cummins has led Australia in 13 ODIs, recording only two losses - both of which came in the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup.