IPL Auction 2024: Former Australia Pacer Questions Pat Cummins Massive Price Tag

Sydney, December 21: Former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie has questioned Pat Cummins' price tag at the bygone IPL Auction 2024, saying T20 is not the 2023 World Cup-winning captain's best format.

Cummins attracted the second highest paycheck in the auction in Dubai on Tuesday (December 19) after an intense bidding war between four teams, including the two five-time champions.

Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad were all locked in on sealing the deal for the pacer, and the latter won the bid with a whopping Rs 20.50 crore for the Australian captain.

"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," Gillespie told SEN Radio.

"I think Test cricket is his absolute bread and butter. He's a good T20 bowler, make no mistake. But that's massive overs for me," Gillespie added.

It was not the first time that Cummins, who has 55 wickets in 50 T20I matches at an average of 24.54 and economy of 7.37 in T20Is, attracted huge bids at the IPL auction.

In the 2020 auction, KKR had paid Rs 15.5 crore for his services, while the same side bagged the current Australian captain for Rs 7.25 Crore in the 2022 mega auction. Over the years, Cummins has played 42 IPL matches across two franchises, bagging 45 wickets.

Gillespie Delighted With Mitchell Starc Deal

A little over an hour after Cummins broke Sam Curran's record for most expensive buy in IPL history, his compatriot Mitchell Starc surpassed that figure to become the costliest player in the IPL history.

As expected, the left-arm speedster garnered a lot of interest with Kolkata Knight Riders spending a mind-boggling Rs 24.75 crores for his services after a bidding war with Gujarat Titans, who later ended up with young Australian quick Spencer Johnson for Rs 10 Crore.

Starc, who has usually prioritised international duty over playing in the IPL, has played only two seasons of the cash-rich league, taking 34 wickets in 27 games at an average of 20.38.

While many feel the deal is not justified due to the age profile and availability of other players, Australian great Gillespie backed Starc's jaw-dropping Rdeal.

"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," Gillespie said.

(With PTI inputs)