Pat Cummins hints at skipping second half of IPL 2021 in UAE

Star bowler of Australia and Kolkata Knight Riders, Pat Cummins has hinted that he would not be heading to the UAE to take part in the remaining matches of rescheduled IPL 2021 edition in UAE, that will commence on September 19. Earlier,  Cummins had pulled out from the tours of West Indies and Bangladesh due to personal reasons, and there were murmurs that he might also give the IPL a skip. Cummins’ KKR teammate Dinesh Karthik, in fact, revealed in an interview that the 28-year-old told him that he would be skipping the IPL. 

Now, a month ahead of the competition, Cummins, speaking in a video posted on his YouTube Channel, has admitted that it will be tough for him to go to UAE for the IPL, with him expecting the birth of his child.  

"Unfortunately, at this stage, I probably won't be going to the IPL. I haven't made an official call on it. But my partner is pregnant and our baby is due in the middle of the IPL. At the moment, there is a travel restriction to get back to Australia, you got to do 2 weeks quarantine," the Australian fast bowler said on his YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, also on Tuesday, captain Eoin Morgan confirmed his availability for the remaining matches of 14th edition of IPL in UAE. England were due to tour Bangladesh in September-October, but the ECB and BCB mutually took a decision to postpone the tour until March 2023. The development ended up working in favor of the Knight Riders, who will thus have their skipper available for the remaining matches of the season.

"It's a complete individual decision. I think it was a win-win either way. If we went to Bangladesh we'd play in conditions that are foreign to us. If some guys go to the IPL, they'll play in similar conditions [to the World Cup] or for guys that need a rest, they take a rest," Morgan said.