Australia captain Pat Cummins indicated he might skip the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year to prioritize a heavy Test schedule and the ODI World Cup.
The 33-year-old fast bowler first played in the IPL in 2014 and has earned $1.9 million a year as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last three editions of the blockbuster Twenty20 tournament. Next year, though, Australia plays four Tests in India in January and February, has a 150th anniversary Test against England in Melbourne in March, and goes on a full Ashes tour before the ODI World Cup in southern Africa in October and November.
“Something has got to give at some stage next year and it’s not going to be Test matches or an ODI World Cup,” Cummins told the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday.
“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.
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“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 grueling Ashes series.”
Cummins played only the Adelaide Ashes Test in the last home summer and skipped the T20 World Cup as he dealt with a nagging back injury.
With his fellow fast-bowling stalwarts Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc also deep into their 30s, Cummins said consideration would be given to resting them for part of the home series against New Zealand around the New Year.
“It’s possible. I think we’re fairly open-minded to anything, as we’ve seen over the last couple of years,” Cummins added.
“I see a world where we’re potentially winding some bowlers down, even say at the back end of an Indian series if they don’t look like they’re going to play, to give them an extra rest ahead of the Ashes.
“It’s going to be a big push the next 18 months or so, but I think we’ll look back on it hopefully and see it as one of the more rewarding periods of our career.”
Published on Jun 03, 2026
