New Delhi: Australia captain Pat Cummins and star batter Travis Head reportedly turned down a lucrative contract offer from an Indian Premier League (IPL) team to quit international cricket and play T20 franchise cricket around the globe. Cummins and Head were reportedly offered an annual contract worth AUD 10 million (Rs 58.2 crore approx.). However, they decided to choose national commitment over franchise cricket.
Both Head and Cummins are among the best players in the world at present. While Cummins is arguably one of the best fast bowlers in the world and brings leadership experience along with his bowling, Head is one of the most destructive batters in T20Is. Both Aussie stars play for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL.
Cummins currently earns Rs 18 crore from his IPL contract with SRH, while Head is paid Rs 14 crore per season by the IPL franchise. Additionally, Head also earns AUD 1.5 million (Rs 8.74 crore approx.) from his annual contract with Cricket Australia. Meanwhile, Cummins, who leads Australia in both ODIs and Tests, earns around AUD 3 million (Rs 17.48 crore approx.) from his annual contract with Cricket Australia.
As per a report in Sydney Morning Herald, the revelation about the IPL team’s contract offers to Cummins and Head was made during Cricket Australia’s meeting with the concerned stakeholders regarding the privatisation of the Big Bash League (BBL), Australia’s premier T20 tournament.
“But according to three senior cricket sources not authorised to speak about private discussions, they have surfaced in talks between Cricket Australia, the state associations and the players’ union about whether to privatise the Big Bash League,” stated the report.
“The offers have been used as an example of how tenuous Australian cricket’s hold on its players is becoming, and as part of the argument for bolstering the BBL with private capital that would raise player salaries, and also link the T20 league into a growing global network of franchise owners,” it added.
Cummins, Head among top earners for SRH in IPL
Cummins and Head are among the top earners for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. While skipper Cummins was retained by SRH for Rs 18 crore, Head was retained by the franchise for Rs 14 crore ahead of IPL 2025. However, Cummins is not the highest-paid player at the franchise.
South Africa batter Heinrich Klaasen is the top earner at SRH after being retained for a whopping Rs 23 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Klaasen, who is known for his big-hitting prowess, is one of the best T20 batters in the world at present. He is the 4th-highest paid player in IPL at present.
India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant is the highest paid player in the IPL after Lucknow Super Giants signed him for a whopping Rs 27 crore, making him the most expensive player of all time in IPL history. He is followed by his India teammate Shreyas Iyer, who was bought by Punjab Kings for a staggering Rs 26.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction last year.