This was the first time that the 20-crore barrier was broken in the IPL auction and the news was met with cheers from all the auction tables as well as the crowd present in the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
Australia 2023 World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins entered the record books after becoming the most expensive buy in the history of IPL after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) splurged a whooping 20.50cr to acquire him in the IPL 2024 Auction in Dubai. SRH was embroiled in an intense bidding war between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Cummins was previously bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a mega-sum of Rs 15.50 crore in IPL 2019 auction.
SRH sought a bowler with strong leadership skills to bolster their bowling department, which had experienced shortcomings in the previous two seasons. Cummins, who played a pivotal role in leading Australia to victory in the World Test Championship 2023 and the ODI World Cup in November, also displayed an impressive performance in the ODI World Cup Final in Ahmedabad. During the final, he played a key role by taking crucial wickets, including those of Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli which disrupted the Indian innings.
Cummins broke the record of Sam Curran, who was sold for Rs 18.50 crore in the 2023 auction. This was the first time that the 20-crore barrier was broken in the IPL auction and the news was met with cheers from all the auction tables as well as the crowd present in the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
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Cummins joins Australia teammate and one of the best international batters in recent times – Travis Head at SRH. Head was bought for Rs 6.8 crore earlier in the auction. SRH’s buys indicate a change of personnel in all departments of the team. It is expected that SRH will have a rejig in their preferred playing line-up in the upcoming tournament.
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