Reports: Pat Cummins and three other Australian players likely to skip UAE leg

Earlier last week, Cricket Australia (CA) had announced that they have granted permission for its players to partake in the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which is set to begin in the UAE on September 19. There are several top Aussie players participating in the IPL – Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, David Warner, Steve Smith, Jhye Richardson, and Marcus Stoinis.

But if sources are to be believed, then Australia pace bowlers Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Jhye Richardson, and Riley Meredith, who are among the contracted players in the IPL, are most likely to pull out of the UAE leg. All the four players were also not part of the team’s away tours to West Indies and Bangladesh citing personal reasons.

Cummins plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and is one of the key members of the squad. Meredith and Jhye play for Punjab Kings and, Kane is part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In terms of having an impact on the IPL, Cummins’ absence could be crucial for KKR who, are languishing at the bottom half of the points table.

Nathan Ellis is all set to be a part of IPL 2021

As per Cricket.com.au, Smith, Warner, and Maxwell are most likely expected to return to the cash-rich league. Fast bowler Nathan Ellis is all set to be snapped by one of the teams as a replacement player.

Cricket Australia (CA) have announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup set to be held in Oman and UAE from October 17. Uncapped player Josh Inglis has been named in the team and, so is Ellis, who is in the squad as a reserve player. The duo impressed the Australian selectors by performing consistently well in domestic competitions. Inglis has been phenomenal with the bat for Perth Scorchers in the BBL and T20 Blast in England.

Meanwhile, Ellis had a memorable T20I debut against Bangladesh as he became the first player to pick up a hat-trick in the shortest format on debut. Chief selector of Australia George Bailey is happy with the squad picked for the global event. Apart from him, even Ricky Ponting feels Australia has a capable enough team to win the maiden T20 World Cup.