Pat Cummins has asserted that the Indian Premier League this year was so important because of the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held later in 2020 in Australia.
“The reason it was so important for so many players this year was leading into a T20 World Cup (and) even if that does get moved, it’s still going to be on at some stage,” said Cummins as quoted by cricket.com.au.
“You look at what’s the best opportunity for your cricket and what you’re going to get the most out of,” he added.
Cummins, the number one Test bowler in the world, became the most expensive foreign cricketer in the history of IPL after Kolkata Knight Riders brought him at a whopping price of INR 15.5 crore.
Meanwhile, the 13th edition of the IPL, which was scheduled to be played from March 29 this year was earlier postponed to April 15 before it was suspended due to the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus till further notice.
However, several media reports including one by the news agency IANS suggested that the BCCI was looking at the possibility to host the 13th edition of the IPL from September 25 to November 1, considering that the T20 World Cup – scheduled to take place at the same time – would be postponed.
Meanwhile, amid speculations that the ICC T20 World Cup might make way for BCCI to stage IPL at the same time, former Australia captain Allan Border said that it would be “just a money grab”.
“(I’m) not happy with that. The world game should take precedence over local competition. So, the World T20, if that can’t go ahead, I don’t think the IPL can go ahead. I would question that decision — it’s just a money grab, isn’t it, that one?” Border said in ABC’s Grandstand Cafe radio program as quoted by PTI.
“The World T20 should take precedence, for sure. The home boards should stop their players going to the IPL if that’s the case,” he added.
Cummins’ national teammate Josh Hazlewood also said that he was looking to use the IPL as the platform to begin his preparation for the T20 World Cup, reported cricket.com.au.
A total of 17 Australian players were supposed to ply their trades in the cash-rich tournament and would have also exposed them to white-ball cricket in India ahead of the proposed T20 World Cup there in 2021 and 50-over World Cup there in 2023.