IPL 2027: Seasoned Australian pacer and SunRisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has strongly hinted at skipping IPL 2027 to prioritize his commitments for the national team. With the Men in Yellow having a busy year, Cummins stated that ‘something has to give’ and stressed that he will make himself available for all the Test matches and is keen to play the 50-over World Cup too.
Why is 2027 a busy year for Australia?
The Aussie team faces a packed 20-month cricketing calendar, with plenty of first-choice players missing the ongoing ODI series in Pakistan. The Men in Yellow will next travel to Bangladesh for three ODIs and as many T20Is. Between August 13th to 26th, Australia will host Bangladesh for a historic Test series, followed by a gruelling three-Test tour of South Africa. Their home season also comprises of hosting England for a lengthy white-ball series and New Zealand for four Tests.
In early 2027, Australia will visit India for five Tests as the tourists aim to win their first series on Indian soil since 2004. A potential World Test Championship (WTC) final appearance awaits Australia in June, followed by the Ashes series in England and the ODI World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in October-November. Keeping this in mind, the 32-year-old told The Sydney Morning Herald:
“Something has got to give at some stage next year and it’s not going to be Test matches or an ODI World Cup. I will make a call a lot closer and work with the franchise to see what makes sense. Things can change. I’ve had a couple of injuries pop up, so I don’t really want to lock in anything. The priorities for me are always the Test matches and that ODI World Cup. I dare say if I play all of India, I need some sort of break before a pretty gruelling Ashes series.”
How did Pat Cummins perform in IPL 2026?
The New South Welshman started playing in IPL 2026 only at the halfway mark due to nursing a back injury. Cummins captained the SunRisers to the playoffs but they lost to the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator in Mullanpur to be knocked out of the tournament. With the ball, he took eight wickets in as many games at 38.37 alongside an economy rate of 9.59.
Should Cummins miss the season, Ishan Kishan will likely be appointed SunRisers’ captain.
