"Pat Cummins Thoroughly Justifies His Price Tag": Former England Skipper Eoin Morgan On SRH's Mega Bid For Cummins

The cricketing world was shocked when Pat Cummins chose to opt out of this year’s IPL stating a packed international schedule. But, in hindsight, one can surely attest to the fact that he has reaped the fruits of his labor in the IPL 2024 Auction.

The glory and the spoils continue to flow in for World Cup-winning Australian skipper Pat Cummins in 2023, as the Aussie pacer created history when Sunrisers Hyderabad broke the bank to splurge a whopping Rs 20.5 crore on Cummins, making him the second-most expensive buy in the history of the IPL so far.

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Appearing during the IPL 2024 Player Auction on Tuesday, JioCinema IPL experts analyzed Pat Cummins’ move to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.5 crore.

Former England captain Eoin Morgan lauded the Australia skipper and expounded on the dedication Cummins has showcased over the past year to earn his reward.

“The player that Pat Cummins is and considering the last year-and-a-half that he has had, both with leadership and as a bowler with the World Test Championship winning side, retaining the Ashes in England during the English summer and then leading the Australian ODI team to another ODI World Cup. So, recent form and confidence is a huge contributing factor,” said Morgan on Cummins fetching the hefty price.

“It’s also a demand-supply issue. There are quite a few teams looking for leadership roles to be fulfilled not only as captain but also in the changing room. So Pat Cummins thoroughly justifies his price tag.”

Former Indian spin legend Anil Kumble offered a different view to the whole endeavour, stating that while Cummins deserves all the praise, perhaps the dire need for leadership in the Sunrisers’ ranks is what motivated them to reach for the stars and acquire Cummins.

“That’s a really high price. Rs 20 crores wasn’t expected. We knew he’d go for a higher price but Rs 20 crore, it’s created a record. SRH is perhaps looking for a captain and that could be the reason why we see the desperation to get in. Perhaps RCB were also looking at a long-term captain. Good luck to Pat Cummins. Three trophies, but this would probably take the icing on the cake,” said Kumble.