Cummins might skip next IPL because of heavy Australia workload

Australia captain Pat Cummins indicated he might skip the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year to prioritise a heavy Test schedule and the One Day International World Cup.

The 33-year-old ​fast bowler first played in the IPL in 2014 and has earned USD1.9m a year as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last three editions of the blockbuster T20 tournament.

Next year, though, Australia play four Tests in India in January and February, have a 150th anniversary ​Test against England in Melbourne in March, and go on a full Ashes tour ​before the ODI World Cup in southern Africa in October and November.

"Something ⁠has got to give at some stage next year and it's not going to ​be test matches or an ODI World Cup," Cummins told the Sydney Morning Herald on ​Wednesday.

"I will make a call a lot closer and work with the franchise to see what makes sense. Things can change. I've had a couple of injuries pop up, so I don't really want to ​lock in anything.

"The priorities for me are always the Test matches and that ODI ​World Cup. I dare say if I play all of India, I need some sort of break ‌before a ⁠pretty gruelling Ashes series."

Cummins played only the Adelaide Ashes Test in the last home summer and skipped the T20 World Cup as he dealt with a nagging back injury.

With his fellow fast-bowling stalwarts Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc also deep into their 30s, Cummins said ​consideration would be given ​to resting them ⁠for part of the home series against New Zealand around the New Year.

"It's possible. I think we're fairly open-minded to anything, as we’ve ​seen over the last couple of years," Cummins added.

"I see a ​world where ⁠we're potentially winding some bowlers down, even say at the back end of an Indian series if they don't look like they're going to play, to give them an extra rest ⁠ahead of ​the Ashes.

"It's going to be a big push the ​next 18 months or so, but I think we'll look back on it hopefully and see it as one ​of the more rewarding periods of our career."