"Cummins scored 50 in one game but has leaked 150 runs" - Aakash Chopra not in favor of pacer returning to KKR playing XI for IPL 2022 clash vs DC

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra is not in favor of Australian pacer Pat Cummins returning to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) playing XI for the team’s IPL 2022 clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Thursday.

Cummins missed the team’s last match against the Gujarat Titans (GT) and was replaced by Tim Southee. The Kiwi pacer impressed with figures of 3 for 24. However, Kolkata went down in the match by eight runs, their fourth consecutive loss in the tournament.

KKR will be keen to get back on the winning track when they face DC at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. Asked whether he felt Cummins should make a comeback into the playing XI, Chopra replied in the negative. During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, he explained:

“Pat Cummins scored 50 in one game but has leaked 150 runs with the ball as well. If he is not going to pick wickets, the balance will be affected big time. KKR will do well to stay away from him and play Tim Southee. Andre Russell is already a good all-round option. On his day, Sunil Narine can also shine with the bat. It’s tempting to go back to Pat, but I would resist that temptation and stick to Southee.”

In four matches, Cummins has claimed four wickets at an economy rate of 12. With the bat, he has scored 63 runs, with 56 of them coming in one match against the Mumbai Indians (MI).

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“Finch doesn’t fit into my playing XI for KKR” - Aakash Chopra

Like Cummins, Aaron Finch also did not feature in the team’s last match against Gujarat. Although he hammered 58 off 28 balls against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Chopra would prefer a KKR playing XI without the Aussie white-ball skipper.

According to the 44-year-old, Finch’s inclusion disrupts the balance of the IPL team. Elaborating on his stance, he opined:

“Finch doesn’t fit into my playing XI for KKR because, to accommodate him, the team has to make multiple changes, which affects the balance of the side. If he comes back, Sam Billings has to be dropped and Sheldon Jackson has to be brought in. With Jackson in the team, you are literally playing with 10 batters because he has not been contributing with the bat. Better to keep Finch out and open with Narine and Venkatesh Iyer instead. Billings anyways bats well at number four.”

In Finch’s absence, Billings and Narine opened the innings against Gujarat. Both batters were dismissed for single-figure scores as Kolkata failed to chase down 157.