Sydney: A group of leading IPL franchises offered Australia captain Pat Cummins and his deputy Travis Head staggering multi-year deals worth AUD 10 million (Rs 58.46 crore) each to play exclusively in T20 leagues, but both players turned them down, according to a report.
The offers, nearly six times more than what top Australian players earn under their board’s central contracts, were made earlier this year as part of a push by IPL-backed investors to assemble full-time franchise squads, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
“The offers, made this year by an IPL team group, were politely rebuffed by two of Australia’s most valuable cricket assets, who remain firmly committed to the national team,” stated the report.
The publication further reported that both Cummins and Head remain committed to playing international cricket for Australia. However, this has given a further push to privatize the Big Bash League – Australia’s flagship T20 cricket league – in order to invite private capital that would bolster players’ salaries.
As per the report, discussions regarding this have taken place between Cricket Australia, the state associations, and the players’ union. However, there has been no official word from any of the parties involved thus far.
How Much Pat Cummins Earns From IPL?
Former IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad retained the Australia Test and ODI captain for Rs 18 crore ahead of the mega auctions last year. He was originally signed by the franchise for a whopping Rs 20.5 crore at the IPL auction in 2024 before taking a pay cut last year. The ODI World Cup winner is also the SRH captain.
How Much Pat Cummins Earns As an Australian Cricketer?
According to The Age, the top Aussie cricketers usually pocket around 1.5 million Australian dollars (INR 8.74 crore approx.) each per year. However, Cummins, who, besides being one of Australia’s leading pacers, is also their Test and ODI captain, takes home around 3 million Australian dollars (INR 17.48 crore approx.) when his captaincy stipend is taken into account.
How Much Travis Head Earns From IPL?
Head, a big-hitting top-order batter, was signed by SRH for Rs 6.8 crore at the IPL 2024 auction. However, thanks to his rising stocks, his salary more than doubled for the 2025 season as he was retained for Rs 14 crore.
How Much Aussie Cricketers Earn Compared To The Country’s Other Top Sports Stars?
In comparison with fellow Aussie stars, the salaries paid to the country’s top cricketers appear minuscule.
Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri currently tops the list of highest-paid Australian sports stars with McLaren paying him around 40 million Australian dollars, followed by NBA’s Josh Giddey who pockets around 38 million Australian dollars, while NFL’s Jordan Mailata completes the top three with a salary of 34 million Australian dollars.
