Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has reckoned that the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will not miss Pat Cummins as much if the Australian opted out of the second phase of the IPL 2021 in the UAE later this year.
BCCI has already confirmed that the remainder of the IPL 2021 will be held in the UAE in September-October, though dates haven’t been announced, and the board and franchisees have started the process about the availability of their overseas stars for the tournament.
A day after the announcement of the resumption of the IPL 14 amidst the packed international calendar, the reports suggested that Cummins – who just got out of the quarantine in Sydney – might pull out the remainder of the season, given the hectic schedule after the T20 league.
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While the Australian pacer is yet to make any comment regarding the same, Chopra believes that Cummins' absence might not be too big a loss for KKR even if he withdraws since there is Lockie Ferguson for the two-time IPL champions and he will pick the New Zealander ahead of the Aussie.
However, KKR will certainly miss Cummins’ enhanced batting prowess in the IPL 2021, where he has scored 93 runs at a strike rate of 166.07 before the tournament was postponed due to COVID-19.
Chopra said on his YouTube channel, “KKR already have Lockie Ferguson. And in my opinion, if you have to pick one of them just as a T20 bowler, I will pick Lockie ahead of him (Cummins). If Lockie is available and plays, it is absolutely fine. I don’t think they are going to miss Pat Cummins the bowler.”
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He further said of Cummins’ show in the IPL 14, “His (Cummins’) performance has not been great as a bowler. If we talk about last year, he took just 12 wickets in 14 matches, and that was in the UAE, where the remaining matches will be played. The economy was okay, less than eight. This year also, he took only nine wickets in seven matches, and he was more expensive as well, almost nine runs per over.”
The cricketer-turned-commentator has also suggested England pacer Mark Wood’s name as a possible replacement for Cummins for the remainder of the IPL 2021 if the Aussie pulls out of the event.
Chopra signed off by saying, “It could be Mark Wood. He is up there in my mind. He bowls very well; last time he had made himself unavailable, but if this time he makes himself available, then Mark Wood will be my option for the Kolkata Knight Riders.”
