Cummins enjoying the 'challenge' of bowling in IPL runfests

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins directs his fielders.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins directs his fielders.INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP

No total looks safe in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) but ⁠Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins is far from intimidated, and sees it rather as a challenge for bowlers like him.

Flat ‌tracks, short boundaries and the league's Impact Player rule, which allows chasing teams ‌to draft in an extra batter replacing a bowler, have ‌all contributed to teams routinely pulling off 200-plus targets.

On Saturday, the Delhi ‌Capitals racked up 264-2, briefly the highest total this season, ‌and yet Punjab Kings chased down the record target with seven balls to spare.

In the second match of the double-header, a Cummins-led Hyderabad accomplished a ‌229-run chase with nine balls to go.

"It's fine, ⁠it's a good challenge," Cummins, ‌playing his first match of the IPL season after recovering from a ​lumbar bone stress injury, told reporters.

"You know, you can have a bad couple overs, but you feel like if ​you come back and bowl a really good death over, then yeah, that can be match-winning."

"I actually think in some ways, it ⁠takes the pressure off ​us bowlers, knowing that our batting lineup can chase whatever (target) ... One wicket, one really good over, can actually be as important as a good spell would be in a lower-scoring game."

Rajasthan's 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (103) once again ‌lit up the stadium with a 36-ball hundred - hitting the first ball he faced from Cummins for a six.

"I think he's my new favourite player," a smiling Cummins said of the teenaged opener.

"He's hits the ball so hard. It's great to watch, it's good fun. You got to be right on the money as a bowler."

"He's had a great start to his career and I love the way he plays. It takes the game on."

Despite the ‌soaring totals this season, Cummins said their team approach had not ​really changed.

"We set up our team, obviously, to try and ‌go big on our batting, and as a bowler, it's up to us to try and minimise the runs. The scores look a little bit different to maybe a few years ago, but the concept still the same."

Hyderabad climbed to third place ⁠in the points table - behind ⁠leaders Punjab Kings and defending ‌champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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