Former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Sanjay Manjrekar believe that Australian skipper Pat Cummins, who has led Australia to back-to-back ICC titles, will attract a lot of bidders in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League auction.
Despite having helped Australia win the World Test Championship (WTC) and retain the Ashes, Cummins received a lot of criticism for his captaincy following the team’s loss to South Africa and India. However, the 30-year-old inspired the team after the defeats to lead his side to the Sixth ODI World Cup title in India and a lot of IPL teams would have an eye on him, given his record as captain of the Australian team.
Speaking on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar feels Pat Cummins’s multi-dimensional qualities would draw a lot of teams to bid for him. He highlighted his performance for Kolkata Knight Riders, where he got the team’s quickest fifty, and believes a number of teams will compete for him in the auction.
“I think there will be tremendous interest in Pat Cummins. Don’t forget when he played for KKR, he got the fastest fifty at one stage. So he can play as a batter as well, apart from the fact that he’s one of the best bowlers that the game has seen. I think he would be the one that will attract the most interest from all the franchises,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
Australian captain Pat Cummins has appeared in six IPL seasons, scoring 379 runs and taking 45 wickets in 42 matches. He was the most expensive purchase in the 2020 IPL Auction, with Kolkata Knight Riders paying a record 15.50 crores for him at the auction.
Pat Cummins Has Got The X Factor And Out Of The Box Thinking – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that teams in transition phase, such as the Punjab Kings and SunRisers Hyderabad, might use Cummins to smooth things out because the bowler was a proven leader in international cricket and asserted that other teams would also have their eye on the World Cup winning skipper.
“Pat Cummins would be a great addition on a pitch with where, you know most bowlers struggle. He has got that X factor and out of the box thinking, you know, just something of a wild card.”
“A couple of teams looking for leadership, different leadership. SunRisers Hyderabad with Aiden Markram, Punjab Kings with Shikhar Dhawan. So Pat Cummins recent performance as a leader as well could maybe get the attention of a few team owners as well. Unlikely to happen, but can’t rule that out,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.
Pat Cummins remains one of the world’s most sought-after cricketers across all forms. The unrelenting bowling and destructive lower-order batting of the Australians would be key for many teams in the Indian Premier League. The 30-year-old was also an important part of Australia’s successful team at the 2021 T20 World Cup.
