Australia speedster Pat Cummins reckons fetching hefty sum at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction puts a different kind of pressure on the players as good performance can never be guaranteed.
Since Cummins was the highest-paid overseas recruit, he was on the spotlight during last year’s tournament in UAE. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had roped him for a whopping Rs 15.50 crore at the IPL 2020 auction.
Last month, South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris became the costliest foreign buy ever as Rajasthan Royals bought him for Rs 16.25 crore at the IPL 2021 auction.
"Whenever you play professional cricket anywhere, there will be lots of pressure. If you are coming off a good game, there is pressure to do it again, if you are coming off a bad game, there is pressure to perform," Cummins told his IPL franchise KKR's official website.
"I guess the auction bring another kind of pressure. We just got to try and manage this. Just because you have gone for more money doesn't mean, the ball suddenly swings more or the wicket is suddenly greener, or the boundaries are bigger."
While Cummins returned with 12 wickets from 14 games at an economy rate of 7.86 in IPL 2020, KKR failed to qualify for the playoffs.
"It's the same playing field, so, I just try to concentrate on what I do well. I guess that's what is going to bring about the best success for KKR while I'm here," he added.
Interestingly, Cummins was also a part of the KKR set-up in 2014 when the league was played in India, UAE and he said he learnt a lot bowling in conditions different from Australia.
"I have amazing memories. My first experience of playing with players outside Australia, my first taste of the IPL. I watched quite a bit of it on TV and yeah I loved it.
"It's hard bowling here in India or in the UAE. The wickets are different to the ones in Australia, the grounds are smaller. So, you got to learn and find different ways. We have had some amazing people around the team to learn from.
"I got the whole couple of months to spend with Jacques Kallis. Loved that experience, made me hungry for more," Cummins remarked.
(With PTI inputs)
