New Delhi, November 15 (Yes Punjab News)
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has raised doubts over Pat Cummins’ availability for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2027, suggesting that Ishan Kishan could take over as the franchise’s full-time captain.
Chopra also identified potential release and trade options for Gujarat Titans as franchises assess their squads ahead of the IPL retention deadline.
Speaking about Cummins’ availability, Chopra pointed to Australia’s busy international schedule, which includes the Ashes and the World Cup, as a possible obstacle to the fast bowler’s participation in the next IPL season.
“I have a feeling that, given the kind of year it is, with Ashes and the World Cup, Pat Cummins might not be available. His availability could be an issue because the IPL is scheduled to take place right after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. So, there is a lot of cricket coming up, and Pat Cummins might not be available, and you might potentially have Ishan Kishan stepping in and doing the job as a full-time captain this time around,” Chopra told JioStar.
Kishan, who has previously led SRH in Cummins’ absence, could be considered for the captaincy for the entire campaign if the Australian is unavailable.
Chopra also suggested that Gujarat Titans could release one of their middle-order options to free up funds and explore trades to strengthen their batting resources.
He pointed to the overlap between left-arm spinners Sai Kishore and Manav Suthar, suggesting that the franchise could trade one of them to secure a player in another position.
“Shahrukh is at four crores, and Tewatia is at four as well. So, one of the two can be released, maybe Shahrukh. So, you have Rs 4 crore freed up there. Interestingly, if they are in the trade market, you have Sai Kishore and Manav Suthar. There will be many teams who would want an Indian left-arm spinner of that quality because they are unable to play both of them. You can always offer one of the two to get somebody else,” he said.
Chopra identified the middle and lower-middle order as Gujarat’s key area of concern. He also suggested that the franchise could release a pacer, given its options in that department.
“And, they actually need a lower-middle-order or a middle-order batter. That is their area of concern. So, for that, they can release one of the pacers because they have too many of those as well. Esterhuizen, they can let him go because Tom Banton is needed. And among the pacers, they can probably release Ishant Sharma if they want to because they don’t play him. Hardly any game last season. In 2025, he still played a few matches,” Chopra added.
Chopra’s assessment highlights different squad-planning challenges for the two franchises, with SRH potentially needing a captaincy alternative and Gujarat Titans looking to strengthen their middle-order options through releases or trades.
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