IPL 2021: Pat Cummins Has Said He Is Not Coming: KKR’s Dinesh Karthik Confirms

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman-keeper Dinesh Karthik revealed that Australian pacer Pat Cummins will not be coming for the second half of the IPL 2021 when it resumes in the UAE in September-October later this year.

The IPL 2021 had to be postponed on May 4 until further notice due to multiple COVID-19 cases amongst players, coaches, and support staff. Even ground staff of the Feroz Shah Kotla tested positive for the virus during the IPL 2021 matches when the tournament shifted to Delhi.

While the numbers of COVID patients has significantly come down in India in the past week or so, the BCCI decided to play the remainder of the IPL 2021 in UAE and has decided on a Sept-Oct window for the same. However, there is still a question mark on the availability of the foreign players.

The England board and Bangladesh board have confirmed that their players will not be coming back for the resumption of the IPL 2021 in UAE due to their international cricket commitment.

Pat Cummins Has Said He Is Not Coming But There’s Still Three Months: Dinesh Karthik

Even Australian players have not confirmed their participation in the second half of the IPL 2021, given that their contingent of 40 people including players, coaches, and support staff had to leave India and remain quarantined in the Maldives as the Australian government banned the entry of any person in the country from India.

Finally on May 16 when the banned lifted, the contingent managed to fly out to Sydney, where they had to further quarantine for over a week after which they were allowed to go home. Cummins was one of the players and he had an emotional reunion with his fiancé Becky Boston, who is pregnant with their child.

“Cummins has said he is not coming but there’s still three months and Morgan may still be available. But if I am asked to lead, I don’t have a problem,” Karthik told TOI.

After finally reaching home after so much travel and life in quarantine, it is understood that Cummins wants to spend more time with his better half amid her pregnancy, but the pacer himself has not said anything about the issue yet.

He took nine wickets in seven games and also scored a quick-fire half-century. Hence, his absence could hurt the two-time champions’ big time.

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