Pat Cummins, Australia’s newest World Cup-winning captain, has won the IPL 2024 auction at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
The 30-year-old Australian speedster surpassed the auction record, fetching a whopping 20.50 crore from SunRisers Hyderabad, surpassing Sam Curran, who fetched 18.5 crore in the previous auction.
The New South Welshman received heated bidding from the Chennai Super Kings and his old side Mumbai Indians after stating his base price at 2 crore. As the aforementioned teams withdrew, the Delhi Capitals and SunRisers Hyderabad stepped in. Eventually, SRH won the auction, getting their third player after Wanindu Hasaranga and Travis Head.
Pat Cummins drew a lot of attention with his astute leadership in the 2023 World Cup, particularly in the final, by tying up the legendary Indian batting line-up. His inspirational leadership propelled Australia to a sixth World Cup victory against the hosts at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
He also bowled superbly, recording figures of 10-0-34-2 without surrendering a boundary.
Pat Cummins skips IPL 2023 to focus on national duties
The fast bowler withdrew from the 2023 tournament, pointing to the Ashes and World Cup. He played last year for the Kolkata Knight Riders, taking 5 wickets over 7 games.
The Australian star also impressed with his batting, slamming a 14-ball half-century against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede to win the game out of nowhere.
With Pat Cummins producing a couple more critical knocks in the 2023 World Cup, the Orange Army will be hoping for the same in the following IPL season.
The 2016 IPL champions finished the 2023 season in last place with four victories in 14 games.