'You Are A Sitting Duck': Pat Cummins Opens Up On Clash Of IPL Auction With Perth Test

Australian captain Pat Cummins has downplayed concerns that the Indian Premier League ( IPL ) 2025 auction will be a distraction for his players during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. The auction is scheduled to take place on two of the five days of the opening Test in Perth, but Cummins believes his team will remain focused on the task at hand.

Pat Cummins on clash of IPL auction with Perth Test

Pat Cummins acknowledged that Australia's assistant coach Daniel Vettori will be involved in the IPL 2025 mega auction, but emphasized that it won't affect their preparation or performance in the Test match. Vettori is part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) setup and will be present at the auction to build a new team. Cummins is captain of the same team and he led them to the final last season. 

"Yeah, I think he is there in the auction. I don't think so (it will be a distraction). Dan has flown over there, but he has been here for the whole prep. Done all the meetings, done all the chats, watching it. We came to know that anyway," Cummins said during a press conference in Perth.

"So, for the players, I don't think so. Most of these guys have been there in the auctions before. They know they can't really do anything. You are a sitting duck and seeing whether you get selected or not. It doesn't... doesn't make a difference to how we go about the first two days. It is not a distraction as far as I can see it," he added.

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With the series set to begin, Pat Cummins is confident that his team will remain focused on their goal of winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, despite the IPL 2025 auction taking place simultaneously during the first Test match. The IPL 2025 auction is scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25. 

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