"He's a test bowler," former Australian legend takes dig at Pat Cummins' IPL price tag of 20.5 crores

Pat Cummins became the second most expensive buy in the history of IPL auctions.

At IPL 2024 auction, Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins emerged as the centre of attention, securing a whopping Rs 20.50 crore contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He became the second most expensive buy in the history of IPL after his fellow countryman Mitchell Starc, who got sold for 24.75 crores to Kolkata Knight Riders.

IPL auction saw Pat Cummins’ bidding war escalate rapidly, between Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Eventually, Sunrisers Hyderabad emerged victorious, breaking the Rs 20 crores milestone and making Cummins the first cricketer in IPL history with such a colossal price tag.

Jason Gillespie opens up on Pat Cummins’ price tag in IPL

Former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie has cast doubt on the astronomical price tag, asserting that Cummins might be better suited to test cricket than the frenetic pace of T20.

Gillespie expressed his reservations about Cummins’ suitability for T20 cricket. “Pat’s obviously a quality bowler and a quality leader, we’ve seen that. I just don’t think T20 is his best format, I think he’s a Test bowler, personally. I think Test cricket is his absolute bread and butter,” former Australia pacer Gillespie told SEN Radio.

While Cummins’ in T20Is has picked up 55 wickets in 50 matches at an average of 24.54 and an economy rate of 7.37, showcases his proficiency in the shortest format, Gillespie still remains unconvinced.“He’s a good T20 bowler, make no mistake. But that’s massive overs for me,” Gillespie added.

Gillespie showed his approval for another Australian pacer, Mitchell Starc, who secured a hefty Rs 24.75 crore deal with Kolkata Knight Riders. Despite Starc’s absence from IPL since 2015, Gillespie deemed it a worthwhile investment.

“I think he’s a great buy. It’s a lot of money, we all acknowledge that, but the IPL is a very rich tournament. I’m absolutely delighted for Mitch. I think it just highlights how important teams value left-arm fast bowling and left-arm swing bowling at pace,” he said.

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