Jason Gillespie raised questions on Pat Cummins's amount of Rs 20.5 crore, said - not worth it
Pat Cummins Indian Premier League 2024: Jason Gillespie has raised many questions on the amount received by Pat Cummins in the IPL auction. He says that Pat Cummins has not had the best performance in this format of cricket i.e. T20.
Legendary fast bowler Jason Gillespie has questioned whether Australian captain Pat Cummins deserves a $3.67 million (Rs 20.5 crore) Indian Premier League contract and termed the mega-deal as 'excessive'. Cummins, who led Australia to the World Cup title last month, was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.5 crore in Tuesday evening's IPL auction after a four-way battle between Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians.
Gillespie has represented Australia on more than 150 occasions and has coached the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League since 2015. He believes that Cummins does not need a $3.67 million contract for his T20 performances.
When Gillespie was asked about Cummins' price, he told SEN Sportsday SA: "I think Cummins is a good bowler and a great captain, we've all seen that. But I don't think T20 is his best format. He is personally a Test bowler. I think Test cricket is his entire livelihood.
He said, "He is a good T20 bowler. But looking at his huge amount, I think these are too big overs for me." The 30-year-old Cummins was the IPL's most expensive buy for almost an hour and a half until Kolkata Knight Riders acquired Australian teammate Mitchell Starc for $4.43 million (Rs 24.75 crore).
However, Gillespie took a different view on Starc's record-breaking contract and said, "I think it just highlights how much teams value left-arm fast bowling and left-arm swing bowling. “I think he’s a great acquisition,” Gillespie said of Starc. It's a lot of money, we all accept that, but IPL is a very rich tournament. "I'm very happy for Mitch."
