Pat Cummins hints at skipping IPL 2027: Tests, World Cup are my priorities

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has hinted that he may skip IPL 2027 to cope with a heavy workload for Australia next year. Cummins has been part of the SRH franchise for the past three years and helped them reach the playoffs in IPL 2026.

He missed the start of the season and played just eight games this time as he recovered from an injury. During this time he collected eight wickets. Australia’s schedule for next year is packed, starting with a four-Test series in India during January and February.

They will then host England in Melbourne for a one-off match commemorating 150 years of Test cricket in March before embarking on a full Ashes campaign ahead of the ODI World Cup in South Africa in October and November.

This prompted Cummins to assess the IPL options next season, says that Tests and the ODI World Cup will take precedence over the league.

“Something has to happen at some stage next year and it won’t be Test matches or the ODI World Cup,” Cummins told the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday.

“I’m going to make a much closer call and work with the franchise to see what makes sense. Things can change. I’ve had a couple of injuries so I don’t really want to lock myself into anything.”

“The priorities for me are always the Test matches and the ODI World Cup. I daresay if I’m going to play all over India, I need some time off before a pretty grueling Ashes series.”

Cummins’ workload was carefully managed last summer, with the Australian captain appearing only in the Adelaide Ashes Test and sitting out the World Cup T20 while he recovered from an ongoing back problem.

With fellow veteran quicks Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc also entering the late stages of their careers, Australia are expected to consider rotation options, including breaks during the home Test series against New Zealand at the turn of the year.

“It’s possible. I think we’re pretty open to anything as we’ve seen over the last couple of years,” Cummins added.

“I can see a world where we potentially cut some bowlers, even at the end of the India series, if they don’t look like they’re going to play, to give them another rest before the Ashes.

“It’s going to be a big shift over the next 18 months, but I think we’ll look back on it with hope and consider it one of the most rewarding periods of our careers.”

Australia will play a total of 21 Tests from August this year until the start of the ODI World Cup in 2027.

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Published on:

03 Jun 2026 09:59 IST