The offers, reportedly made this year by a group connected to an IPL franchise.
Sunrisers Hyderabad duo, Pat Cummins and Travis Head, were reportedly offered $10 million each to quit international cricket and play in T20 leagues.
According to Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s captain Pat Cummins and Travis Head were informally offered nearly 10 million Australian dollars a year each to quit Australian cricket and play full-time in overseas T20 franchise leagues.
Top Australian players typically earn around 1.5 million a year from their national contracts, with Cummins’ total international income rising to about 3 million when his captaincy allowance is included.
The offers, reportedly made this year by a group connected to an IPL franchise, were politely declined by both Cummins and Head, who remain committed to representing Australia. However, according to reports, the offers emerged during discussions between Cricket Australia, the state associations, and the players’ union about potentially privatising the Big Bash League.
These discussions have highlighted the growing pressure on Australian cricket to retain its top talent and have been cited as a reason for introducing private investment in the BBL.
Cricket Australia and Cummins’ management declined to comment, while Head’s management was also contacted for a statement.
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Similar trends are seen overseas. England fast bowler Jofra Archer rejected a year-round deal with Mumbai Indians in 2023, which was reportedly worth 7.5 million Australian dollars. There are also concerns for young Australian talents like 26-year-old Cameron Green, who is linked with the Mumbai franchise owned by the Ambani family.
Last year, Pat Cummins was valued at nearly 3.7 million at the IPL auction with Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Travis Head earned around 1.2 million at the same franchise. Meanwhile, South African teammate Heinrich Klaasen retired from international cricket in June to concentrate fully on franchise leagues, and Nicholas Pooran also stepped away from international cricket to focus on T20 tournaments.
Head was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 6.8 crore at the IPL 2024 auction, and his rising profile saw his salary rise to INR 14 crore for the 2025 season. Cummins was initially signed for INR 20.5 crore before taking a pay cut last year.
For context, Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri is currently the highest-paid Australian sports star, earning around 40 million Australian dollars from McLaren, followed by NBA player Josh Giddey with 38 million, and NFL player Jordan Mailata with 34 million.
Both Head and Cummins played in the IPL and the American Major League Cricket tournament last year alongside the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. Head explained that he wanted to experience franchise cricket more intensively. He said he played in MLC to understand what it is like to play four months of franchise cricket and gain perspective on how decisions around international and league cricket operate globally.
“You want to have every option available to you, you want to experience things and understand how things operate. A lot of people are making certain decisions around the world, and it was a perfect opportunity for me to understand that and see what it was like for whenever the time comes for what I may or may not do in the future,” Head said.
This experience allowed Head to explore all options and understand the demands of franchise cricket while remaining committed to his international career.
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