Ahead of CSK clash, Pat Cummins focused on team Performance, Not MS Dhoni Duel

Pat Cummins' captaincy reign for Australia has been nothing short of spectacular over the past year. He spearheaded the team to a dominant victory in the World Test Championship final, followed by a thrilling World Cup triumph in India. His calm leadership, tactical nous, and ability to get the best out of his players have been widely praised.

Now, Cummins faces a new challenge at the IPL. As captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the pressure is on. The fans have high expectations, eager to see him replicate his international success in the most intense league in the world. Only time will tell if Cummins can translate his leadership qualities to franchise cricket. The IPL will be a true test of his captaincy adaptability. As of now, he has one win and two losses under his belt.

"I don't think I'm gonna try and outsmart him"

Tonight, the Sunrisers will be up against the Chennai Super Kings who have one of the best tacticians in their ranks- MS Dhoni. While he is no longer the captain, he is still very much at the forefront of the team's decisions. And so, ahead of the game, Cummins was asked about how he would get the better of a legend like Dhoni. Cummins maintained that he isn't focused on trying to be better than anyone. He would rather try to get the best of his players to deliver a win.

"My main job as a captain is to get the best out of our guys, so obviously, you look at the opposition a little bit and see what they're doing, but I don't think I'm gonna try and outsmart someone like MSD, you try and play your best, try to bring the best out of the guys, and hopefully it works,” the 30-year-old said while speaking to StarSports.

He was also asked about the expectations that fans have of him and his team. Cummins acknowledged the passion of the masses and said that he, on his part, would try his level best to win the cash-rich league for them. "Whatever team you're playing in, whether you're captain, player or whatever it is. There's always huge expectation; we know how passionate the fans are, and it's great to see them turn up to the ground and it's packed out. So nothing new, we're going to be trying our best; T20s, it's a hard format, you have some amazing wins and also have some tough losses, but we're giving it our best shot and desperately trying to win this IPL,” he added.