Pat Cummins Breaches Rs 20 Crore Barrier, Becomes IPL’s Costliest Player Ever
Dubai: Australia World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins becomes the most expensive buy ever in the ongoing mini-auction of the Indian Premier League. Sunrisers Hyderabad brought Cummins for a record Rs. 20. 05 Crore. The previous most expensive player was Sam Curran – by PBKS for 18.50 crores last season. Earlier, SRH brought Wanindu Hasaranga for 1.50 Crore and Travis Head for a whopping 6.80 crore.
With all the expensive buys, SRH have ended their limit for overseas players now the side can only bid for Indian players.
Under Cummins’ captiancy Australia have won the recently concluded ODI World Cup, where they beat hosts India in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
Hyderabad has finished the last season they have ended on the last in the points table. SRH only won four out of 14 matches and were struggling throughout the tournament. The fact that Harry Brook failed to live up to expectations was a big concern for them.
Starting with a base price of Rs. 2.00 crore, Cummins became the center of a bidding war between IPL heavyweights CSK and Mumbai Indians. The fierce battle escalated the bid to 4.8 crore, led by CSK. Soon after, Royal Challengers Bangalore entered the fray with a bid of Rs. 5.00 Cr, joining Chennai and Mumbai in the pursuit.
Sunrisers also stepped up, placing a bid at Rs. 8.00 Cr, marking Cummins as the day’s first millionaire. The bidding war intensified between SRH and RCB, with both pushing the bids to Rs. 12.00 Cr.
As the bids surpassed the 15-crore mark, the competition heated up, prompting SRH to elevate their offer to 17 crore. Crossing the Rs 18.5 crore mark, Cummins claimed the title of the IPL’s priciest player in history, surpassing Sam Curran’s record sale of Rs 18.50 crore in the 2023 auction.
Yet, the competition remained tight with RCB pushing the bid to Rs. 19.25 Cr. Eventually, SRH surged ahead, reaching Rs. 20 Cr. The bidding war escalated further to Rs. 20.50 Cr, securing Pat Cummins for the team. This marked the inaugural breach of the 20-crore barrier in an IPL auction.