Bengaluru: Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has decided to miss the 2023 IPL tournament and focus on leading his team through a hectic schedule of international cricket.
Cummins was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 7.25 crore at the IPL auction earlier this year, but decided to skip next year’s event in favour of gaining some rest ahead of a busy period for Australian cricket.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to miss next year’s IPL,” Cummins said on social media on Tuesday.
“The international schedule is packed with Tests and ODIs for the next 12 months, so will take some rest ahead of an Ashes series and World Cup.”
The Ashes series that Cummins will lead Australia starts in June next year, while the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is scheduled in India in October and November.
There is also a good chance Australia will feature in next year’s World Test Championship final with Cummins’ side currently sitting on top of the standings.
Australia have a 70 percent win-loss percentage and can move one step closer to ensuring they feature in next year’s Test showcase during upcoming home series against the West Indies and South Africa.
They then travel to India to battle it out for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy early next year, with that series likely to decide who finishes in the top two places and qualifies for the World Test Championship final.
Cummins managed seven wickets from five matches for the Knight Riders at this year’s IPL, but also made headlines with the bat by scoring a quickfire 50 from just 14 deliveries against the Mumbai Indians.
The knock saw Cummins equal the previous record set by India opener KL Rahul for the fastest half-century at the tournament.
