IPL 2022: I Felt I Had Unfinished Business With KKR – Pat Cummins

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling all-rounder Pat Cummins said there will be games where a bowler will concede too many runs despite executing his best plans.

Cummins was bought by KKR for a whopping amount of INR 15.5 crore in the IPL 2020 auction, the most expensive overseas at that point only for Chris Morris to break the record in the next auction.

I was pumped when I got picked by KKR again: Pat Cummins

Cummins opted out of the second leg of IPL 2021 in the UAE due to personal reasons. The two-time IPL champions once again purchased him for INR 7.25 crore this year.

The Australian quick said he was excited to return back to KKR and mentioned his unfinished business.

“I was pumped when I got picked by KKR again. It’s my 5th season now. I felt I had unfinished business because I left halfway through last season and missed the second half,” Cummins told KKR’s official website.

“It’s hard in the IPL because you feel like you are building towards something and then there’s a major auction. So really glad to be back with the same team. Lots of the same players, same staff members so I was very happy,” he added.

You have got to be clear about your plans: Pat Cummins

Playing his first game for KKR this season, Cummins blitzed 56 runs off 15 balls at a staggering strike rate of 373.33 against Mumbai Indians.

The Australian Test skipper scored the joint-highest fastest fifty in IPL after he brought up his third IPl fifty in just 14 balls to join Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul in the classic landmark.

However, Cummins didn’t make any vital contributions with the bat after the whirlwind knock against MI.

In his first four matches, Cummins yielded 190 runs at an average of 47.5 and an economy rate of 12.0 and returned with four scalps.

The Australian pacer was benched after the Rajasthan Royals game and returned with a fiery match-winning spell of 3/22 against Mumbai Indians.

“You have got to be clear about your plans and you have to try and find a balance between bowling away from the batter’s strengths and also concentrate on what you’re doing well. If you’re bowling really good yorkers, make sure that’s part of your plan. But I think it’s also about having a couple of options and being confident about trying to execute them. If anything, it’s about not judging yourself too harshly,” Cummins said.

“There’s going to be some games where you bowl well but you still get hit off a couple of edges for six. That’s T20 cricket. That’s why there’s big crowds turning up. That’s why I go out to bat and I am allowed to swing the bat. It’s quite favoured to the batters a lot of the times which is fine. It makes a good day of bowling where you feel like you have contributed to a win all the more satisfying.

“Then there’s going to be other games where you don’t bowl that well and it comes off. Judge yourself over four or five games and not just the last game,” he added.

KKR will play their next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 14 at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

Also Read: IPL 2022: “I Think It Hurt Him Slightly” – Aakash Chopra Lauds Pat Cummins’ Fiery Spell Against MI