3 teams who should target Pat Cummins in IPL 2024 ft. Chennai Super Kings

Australian skipper Pat Cummins plans to put his name under the auction hammer in December for the 2024 IPL season. The 30-year-old pulled out of IPL 2023, citing a packed international schedule that included the Border Gavaskar Trophy and the Ashes.

However, to prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA, Cummins is looking to play the upcoming IPL season. Despite being among the prominent names in world cricket over the past decade, the pacer has played only sporadically in the world's most prestigious T20 League.

Cummins was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹ 7.25 crore in the 2022 mega auction, but was released from the squad upon announcing his decision to skip the 2023 season. The speedster played five games for KKR in IPL 2022 before being ruled out of the remainder of the season due to a hip injury.

Nevertheless, given his impressive T20 numbers, Cummins remains among the most sought-after cricketers in the world. The Aussie's relentless bowling and destructive lower-order batting have helped him pick up 45 wickets and score 379 runs in his 42-match IPL career. He has played predominantly for KKR, in addition to a lone season for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2017.

Cummins was also a vital cog of the triumphant Australian squad during the 2021 T20 World Cup.

The immediate focus for the 30-year-old will be helping Australia win a sixth ODI World Cup title. But a month from now, all eyes will be on the IPL auction as the franchises look to land their preferred players.

With that in mind, let us look at the top three teams that should target Pat Cummins for IPL 2024.

---

#1 Chennai Super Kings

The MS Dhoni-Pat Cummins dynamic could make for an interesting viewing.

Despite winning their fifth IPL title this season, the Chennai Super Kings had a glaring issue that reared its ugly head at different stages.

The batting was led brilliantly by openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway, with Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube being the sparkplugs in the middle order. However, pace bowling was their Achilles heel, which was often masked by their batting depth and the spin bowling trio of Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, and Maheesh Theekshana.

Although Matheesha Pathirana had an impressive season with 19 wickets in 12 games, most of his scalps came during the death overs. The opening bowlers, Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande, were often expensive, conceding runs at an economy rate of 8.73 and 9.92, respectively.

While the return of Mukesh Choudhary from injury should boost their bowling attack, the presence of Pat Cummins could be the ideal fix. With a career T20 average in the mid-20s and an economy rate under eight, the Aussie skipper could be the missing link that makes the CSK pace attack fearsome.

Also, the retirement of middle-order batter Ambati Rayudu could mean that the other batters move up a spot, which in turn would lengthen the tail. The addition of Cummins would cover that hole too, as the right-hander is capable of producing terrific finishing acts with the bat.

A career average of almost 17, with a strike rate of over 138 in 128 T20s, is evidence that Pat Cummins is a more than capable lower order batter.

Should MS Dhoni retire anytime soon, Cummins is also a good option to lead the franchise, given his experience of leading Australia.

---

#2 Kolkata Knight Riders

Will Pat Cummins be third time lucky with KKR?

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could be vying for a third stint with Pat Cummins, considering their lack of pace-bowling expertise in the 2023 season.

Following their impressive run to the final in IPL 2021, KKR finished seventh on the points table in the next two seasons. Their most serious cause for concern in the recent season was the dismal showing by the pacers, with none of them taking more than seven wickets.

While Shardul Thakur and Andre Russell bagged seven scalps each, they traveled at an economy of 10.47 and 11,34 respectively. The other pace-bowling options - Lockie Ferguson, Harshit Rana, Umesh Yadav, and Vaibhav Arora - lacked penetration and control with the new ball.

That meant all the heavy lifting had to be done by the troika of spinners - Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Suyash Sharma - who combined for 41 of the 77 wickets.

The addition of Pat Cummins should immediately bolster their pace attack, while also adding depth to a batting lineup that often had players batting one spot higher than ideal. Cummins also has the experience of operating in the KKR setup, having picked up nine wickets during their final run in 2021.

Pat Cummins was also part of the setup that clinched their last title, back in 2014, although he played only one game. Kolkata's fans would be hoping that a potential Cummins-KKR match could be third time lucky.

---

#3 Gujarat Titans

Pat Cummins could be the final piece to the Gujarat Titans' puzzle.

The Gujarat Titans (GT) came agonizingly close to winning their second consecutive IPL title in as many appearances.

Following their incredible triumph in their maiden season in 2022, the Titans suffered a final ball defeat to CSK in the summit clash this season. While it is hard to find any glaring hole in their lineup, the absence of a solid pacer to support Mohammed Shami with the new ball is something they would be looking to address.

The franchise tried Alzzari Joseph and Josh Little, but the duo picked up wickets at an average of 32.14 and 42 while also traveling at 9.37 and 8.64 economy, respectively.

That forced skipper Hardik Pandya to take up the new ball mantle occasionally. However, the all-rounder picked up only three wickets, at an average of 76 and an economy of 9.12.

Right-arm pacer Mohit Sharma had a turnaround season for the ages with 27 scalps, but he was successful predominantly in the middle and death overs. With Shami bowling brilliantly with the new ball, spinner Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad owning the spin department and Mohit taking care of the end-overs, it is only the second seamer option to pair with Shami that requires fixing.

And who better than Pat Cummins to do just that? With the wickets in Ahmedabad being conducive to seam movement with the new ball, the Aussie skipper and Mohammed Shami bowling in tandem could be the final piece of the Titans' puzzle.