[Watch] Pat Cummins glued to MS Dhoni's batting highlights on TV during press conference ahead of IPL 2024
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins couldn't resist watching legendary cricketer MS Dhoni's highlights on TV during the pre-final press conference of IPL 2024. Cummins' side will take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the summit clash in Chennai on May 26.
Cummins took over as SRH captain before the 2024 IPL season, resulting in a remarkable turnaround for the franchise. After finishing at the bottom a year ago, SRH finished second on the points table this season.
They suffered a thrashing at the hands of KKR in Qualifier 1 before bouncing back with a resounding win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 to advance to the grand finale.
Speaking to the press on the eve of the big final tomorrow, Pat Cummins was constantly looking at the television in the room that was playing Dhoni's highlights from this year.
Here is a video of the same:
Playing in his 17th IPL season, MS Dhoni enjoyed tremendous success as a finisher, scoring 161 runs at a strike rate of 220.54 in 14 games.
Despite his exploits, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) missed out on playoff qualification after winning the title last year.
"Hopefully one more left" - Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins hoped his side would have one more win in them after they reached the final with a 36-run victory over RR in Qualifier 2.
The Aussie pacer was the second-highest buy in IPL history at ₹20.50 crore during the IPL 2024 auction. Cummins was subsequently made SRH's captain, replacing Aiden Markram.
After SRH clinched a spot in the summit clash, Cummins said at the post-match presentation:
"The boys have been fantastic all season. There's a great vibe in the squad as you can see and the final was the goal at the start of the season and we made it. We knew our strength was our batting and we wouldn't underestimate the experience we have in this squad, it's a dream having Bhuvi, Nattu and Unadkat, makes my job easy. It is for the whole franchise, probably 60 or 70 of them who put their heart and soul into this and hopefully one more left."
Apart from his outstanding captaincy, Cummins has also bowled at various stages in the innings, picking up 17 wickets thus far this season.
Should SRH win against KKR in the finale, it would be another feather in Cummins' cap after he led Australia to the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup titles last year.