Pat Cummins hopes the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are able to get off to a “really aggressive start” in the 2024 Indian Premier League under his leadership in order to set the tone for the rest of the season.
The Australian Test and ODI skipper had recently been named SRH captain after being acquired for a whopping sum of Rs 20.5 crore, with South Africa’s Aiden Markram getting replaced in the role after just one season in charge.
“A bit of planning to go and then just want to get off to a really good start. T20s are hard. Kolkata’s a good team, but I just want to see a really aggressive start to the season,” said Cummins in a video posted by the SRH on their ‘X’ account.
The Hyderabad outfit will begins its IPL campaign with a match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the former team of Cummins, at the Eden Gardens on 23 March.
The pacer said he wanted to work closely with the players and coaching staff to get the maximum results during the tournament.
“I mean, the plans are, you know, I work really closely with the guys that I don’t know too well, get to know them.
“Get to know what they need from me out in the middle. And then work with coaches and what they want to see out of me as well as a player,” said Cummins.
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The 30-year-old, who had led Australia to the WTC, Ashes, and the World Cup triumphs last year, was excited to see a blend of youth and experience in the SRH ranks.
“I think we’ve got a great mix. We’ve got a couple more experienced guys like Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar). Obviously, Aiden Markram was captain last year. But we’ve got some exciting young talent.
“I’m super excited to see guys like Abhishek (Sharma), Umran Malik, these guys I’ve only seen a little bit of but super excited. So, I think fans should be pretty pumped for the season ahead,” said Cummins.
With PTI inputs