IPL 2024: Why Pat Cummins is Hoping Not to Face Mitchell Starc, Opens Up on Captaining in T20 for First Time

As Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, it will also be the battle of two of the costliest buys in the history of the tournament.

At the IPL Auction, SRH shelled out INR 20.50 crore for Pat Cummins with KKR trumping that for the services of Mitchell Starc clash with INR 24.75 crore.

Ahead of the match, Cummins, who has been named as SRH captain will be squaring up against his Aussie ‘mate’ Starc, something the World Cup-winning skipper can’t recall ever happening before.

“I will say this, hopefully, I don’t have to face Starc because that means our batters have done quite well,” Cummins said at a pre-match press conference.

“It’s funny… it’s one of the beauties of the IPL; I have been playing with Starcy for 15 years, [and] I can’t remember another game where I have played against him. Also, it’s going to be weird looking across and seeing him in the other dugout.”

“Yeah, being an opposition captain, seeing how we go about playing him will be an interesting part of tomorrow. But we’re both bowlers, so I am not sure we’ll cross [paths] too much,” he added.

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KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer feels it is advantage KKR, especially with Starc in their ranks.

“Motivation is always good from the start. When Starc is in, it brings a lot of advantages. He can bowl anywhere, be it in powerplay, middle overs, or death. He carries a lot of experience. It’s good for our youngsters as well,” Iyer told the media.

First Time T20 Captain

Even though Cummins will have his Australian teammate Travis Head – winning the World Test Championship and the ICC World Cup – for company in SRH, he said that leading a team in the IPL is different.

“The biggest difference is that you know your team-mates really well playing for Australia. There’s a lot of things doesn’t need to be said, because I have played with Josh Hazlewood and Starc for 15 years. So there’s a real kind of trust and you just don’t really need to say much, everything kind of runs by itself,” Cummins said.

“I think here, learning [about] some new players, that’s going to be the biggest difference, and just learning those different roles within the team. I know a few of the other guys, obviously, and have done a bit of homework to try and get the best out of the guys. But that’s probably going to be the biggest difference,” he added.

Cummins said that he is looking forward to captaining for the first time in the T20 format.

“It’s a format I’ve never captained before. Tomorrow (Saturday) is going to be my first game. With a bit of preparation, I’m good to go,” Cummins said.