IPL 2021: Pat Cummins of Kolkata Knight Riders pulls out, confirms Dinesh Karthik

The 2021 Indian Premier League season remainder would be played in the United Arab Emirates. The tournament was suspended midway last month due to multiple COVID breaches in the team bubbles. Meanwhile, KKR's Pat Cummins has decided not to return.

The Indian Premier League 2021 happened to be one of the unfortunate victims of the COVID-19 pandemic after the bubbles of four teams were breached, leading to the suspension of the tournament last month. Meanwhile, it has been decided that the remaining leg of the competition would be played in the United Arab Emirates, possibly between September-October.

However, Kolkata Knight Riders has suffered a setback months before the tournament resumption, as Australian pacer Pat Cummins has decided against returning. Former KKR skipper and veteran Dinesh Karthik confirmed the same, besides affirming that he is also unsure about skipper Eoin Morgan's participation.

"Pat Cummins has himself said that he will not come. But, when it comes to Eoin Morgan, there are still three months to go. A lot can change from now till September. But, if I am asked to lead, I will be ready for it," Karthik was quoted as saying to Times of India.

Although Cummins decision comes as a surprise, Cricket Australia is yet to confirm anything on the participation of the Aussies in IPL 2021, keeping in mind the burnout factor ahead of the ICC World T20 later this year, around October-November. The same is yet to be confirmed for the English players by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

"We are going to have to give some of these guys a break at some point. But, the intention of giving guys a break for, say, Bangladesh, wouldn't be for them to go and play cricket elsewhere. We have to manage our schedule now, so we get our guys arriving in the best shape possible for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes," Ashley Giles, ECB's director of men's cricket, had stated last month.

KKr is currently placed seventh in the IPL 2021 table, winning just a couple of the seven games and losing five. It would be an arduous task for the side to win the remaining matches hereon to stand a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Furthermore, Cummins pullout only makes things worse for the side and it would be interesting to see if it ropes in a replacement player.

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