Pat Cummins received INR 20.50 Cr bid from SRH in IPL 2024 auction.
Former Indian all-rounder and cricket commentator, Irfan Pathan, shared his views on Pat Cummins' record-breaking price tag in the IPL 2024 auction held in Dubai last year in December.
The former Indian fast bowler believes that Cummins has yet to prove himself in the T20 format to justify the hefty price paid by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the auction.
Citing the Australian pacer’s lack of standout performances in the T20 format, Pathan feels SRH may have taken a significant risk by investing this amount in him.
The IPL 2024 auction made headlines for two of the highest purchases in the tournament's history, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) betting on Cummins for a whopping INR 20.50 crore and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) breaking the bank for Mitchell Starc for a record-breaking INR 24.75 crore.
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Well, the hype around Australian players increased after their 2023 ODI World Cup win in India. Players like Cummins, Starc, and Travis Head attracted massive bids at the IPL 2024 auction.
Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports: “I believe Pat Cummins hasn't yet proved himself in T20 cricket, forget about the IPL, even in Australian cricket. Does he captain Australia in T20Is? If he doesn't even captain Australia in T20Is, there will be a question mark on such a huge price tag.”
Pathan continued, “His numbers are not that good in T20 cricket. However, when you place such a huge bid, you say how can you make him sit out. So that pressure will be there on them. They will have a slight headache in choosing the playing XI but that's a good thing.”
He signed off by saying, “It's better to have that headache instead of not having options at all. I feel the SunRisers will have a different combination than what they had last year, which I feel is a good change.”
Fans will have all their eyes on Cummins in the upcoming IPL season, in hopes of watching the player prove his worth.