IPL 2021: “I’m just trying to help out where I can” - Pat Cummins on his leadership in the KKR bowling unit

Pat Cummins, the world's number one ranked Test bowler, was the talk of the Indian Premier League (IPL) last season. He was snapped up by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping price of INR 15.5 crores. However, Cummins failed to make the kind of impact he and KKR would’ve desired last season and picked up 12 scalps from 14 games.

The 27-year-old has enormous experience at the top of world cricket. He was in marvellous form during the Test series against India in Australia and now that he has a season under his belt with KKR, more will be expected from him this season in IPL 2021.

Asked about his leadership role in the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling camp and whether coach Baz McCullum and skipper Eoin Morgan seek his input, Pat Cummins stressed that he’s eager to help wherever he can. The Aussie pacer also wants to learn from the more experienced members in the squad.

“I’m just trying to help out wherever I can. I’ve played a little bit now and we’ve got a couple of young quick bowlers coming up in the squad [Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti], PK [Prasidh Krishna] and a couple of other guys who are not playing as well. But I’ll learn a lot more from these guys who’ve played a lot more [in India] and know these conditions really well,” said Pat Cummins.

Kolkata Knight Riders are up against Mumbai Indians in their second fixture of IPL 2021. They got off to a flying start with a win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous match and a win against the defending champions would give them a massive confidence boost.

"We've got to bowl well" - Pat Cummins on the bowling unit's plan against Mumbai Indians

When asked about their plans against MI, who have a wonderful record against KKR, Pat Cummins said that the bowling unit has got a few fresh faces and plans that might end up doing the trick.

“They beat us both times we played them last year. They’ve obviously got a really great side but this year, we’ve got a few players that increase the strength of the lineup. Obviously, Bhajji [Harbhajan Singh] is in as well. So, we've got a few plans, we’ve got to bowl well,” Pat Cummins added.

Pat Cummins also spoke about the impact of playing cricket in bio-bubbles and revealed that he hasn’t been bothered by it lately. The Australian pacer got a break after the international assignment against India. He spent nearly a month at home where he was free from restrictions and now feels "fresh" at the beginning of IPL 2021.