"I've never pulled out after the auction" - Pat Cummins opens up on the strict regulations for overseas players ahead of IPL 2025
Australian captain Pat Cummins has opened up on the recent regulations imposed by the IPL governing council ahead of the 2025 edition. The New South Wales cricketer pointed out that the rule to ban players who pull out of IPL after the auction wouldn't have affected him even if it had existed previously.
With a few overseas cricketers pulling out of the competition after the IPL auction over the years, the franchises asked the stakeholders to put out a strong deterrent. Hence, the IPL governing council will ban foreign players for two years if they withdraw after the auction moving forward.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Cummins said that he hasn't ever pulled out of IPL following the auction. However, he suggested the need to think about the IPL in the near future, given that Test cricket and World Cups hold priority.
"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 31-year-old plied his trade as the captain of the SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. He had a hugely successful year, carrying the SunRisers to their first final since 2018 and delivering some match-defining spells.
"I can go a little bit longer than I first thought" - Pat Cummins on his captaincy
Speaking on his captaincy future, Cummins said it feels like he can continue a little longer than he initially thought. He hinted at staying in the role until 2027, adding:
"[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."
"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."
The right-arm pacer is likely to play a couple of Sheffield Shield matches before the Test series against India.