Australian red-ball skipper Pat Cummins has finalized his decision to skip the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to prioritize national commitments and rest from ‘too much of cricket at once’.
Cummins, who was set to feature in Kolkata Knight Riders, feels that resting would be essential after the recently-concluded World Cup 2022 and to prepare for the forthcoming ODI World Cup 2023. Also, the load of Test captaincy has made the decision easier to quit IPL.
Cummins, now an ODI captain as well after Aaron Finch decided to quit the 50-over format’s leadership, finds the load enough to cope with and does not want to add IPL duties. Opening up on it, he said,
“I really do love playing in the IPL, but just looking at the schedule, the decision was pretty easy. You not only want to be physically fresh, but, as captain, you want to be mentally fresh as much as you can to make decisions.
“Straight after the IPL, there are six Test matches. Hopefully, we make the World Test Championship final. I was totally depleted after the last Ashes (in England) in 2019, so I just want to be going there as fresh as I can be.”
Since the last some months have been full of T20I cricket, Cummins feels it is time to focus on ODI rather than sticking to franchise cricket, IPL. Notably, India are all set to host World Cup 2023 in October and November.
“The last 12-24 months, there has been a big focus on T20 cricket and I think that focus now shifts to ODIs with a World Cup in 12 months’ time,” Cummins said. “To challenge ourselves against the current title-holders and probably the most in-form team around the world, there’s a lot to play for.”
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