Australian captain Pat Cummins has commented on the new regulations set by the IPL governing council ahead of the 2025 season. He noted that the proposed rule to ban players who withdraw after the auction wouldn’t have impacted him even if it had been in place before.
With several overseas players pulling out of the tournament after the auction in previous years, franchises urged stakeholders to implement a strong deterrent. As a result, the IPL governing council will now impose a two-year ban on foreign players who withdraw post-auction.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Cummins stated that he has never backed out of the IPL after the auction. However, he emphasized the importance of prioritizing Test cricket and World Cups when considering future IPL participation.
“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 served as captain of SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, leading the team to a highly successful season. He guided the SunRisers to their first final since 2018 and delivered several match-defining performances.
“I Can Go A Little Bit Longer Than I First Thought” – Pat Cummins On His Captaincy
Reflecting on his captaincy future, Cummins mentioned that he feels capable of continuing longer than he originally expected. He suggested he might remain 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 planning to do this forever, but I wouldn’t say I’m about to step down. [2027] is the major question, but it’s still quite far off.”
The right-arm pacer is expected to participate in a few Sheffield Shield matches before the Test series against India.
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