Sunrisers Hyderabad may lose captain Pat Cummins next season in IPL: 'Something has got to give'

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins may skip the 2027 Indian Premier League (IPL) season due to a gruelling international calendar. The pacer dropped the hints when he said "something has to give" as he reflected on the number of matches he has to play in the near future for Australia.

Cummins has 21 Tests scheduled in the next 12 months with Australia if they qualify for the World Test Championship final. Besides playing against South Africa, India and England away, Australia also have 2027 ODI World Cup on the roster.

Cummins to skip IPL 2027?

In the midst of the hectic schedule is the IPL, which is scheduled to take place from March 2027, preceding the five-Test matches Ashes in England.

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While speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Cummins has said that he may be forced to take a break after the five-Test series in India in January and February, indicating that he will be taking a break from IPL 2027.

“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 said. “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.

“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 gruelling Ashes series.”

Interestingly, SRH had reportedly given Cummins a $10 million annual offer to play only franchise cricket, which was rejected by the Australian captain as he wanted to prioritise playing for the national team.

To counter any threat of poaching, Cricket Australia reportedly recently offered Cummins a Rs 82.36 crore ($12 million) deal for three years. And this big sum may just allow him to skip the IPL T20 league next year!