Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has emphasized that his primary focus remains on representing his country in the longest format of the game. While acknowledging his participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Cummins has yet to make a decision regarding his involvement in the upcoming season.
Cummins, who was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a record-breaking Rs 20.50 crore in the IPL 2023 auction, led the team to the final. With the mega auction for the IPL 2025 season approaching, teams will be allowed to retain a maximum of six players, including a maximum of five capped players and two uncapped players.
Cummins is currently focused on the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. He is aware of the new IPL regulations that prohibit foreign players from registering in the following year’s auction if they withdraw after the auction.
“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,” Cummins told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Cummins reiterated that Test cricket remains his top priority, followed by World Cups. He acknowledged the increasing demands of the cricket calendar and the need to prioritize his commitments.
“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 calendar is never going to get any less busy, and I’m not going to get any younger, so these things have always been considerations, and moving forward will become even more so. But needless to say, playing cricket for Australia, particularly Test matches, is my number one job and priority,” he added.
