Pat Cummins’ mammoth IPL contract under threat due to coronavirus outbreak
Pat Cummins’ Indian Premier League contract broke records, but as the coronavirus outbreak continues to wreak havoc, the star could lose millions.
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Australian cricketer Pat Cummins’ $3.2 million Indian Premier League paycheck is under threat as the coronavirus epidemic continues to wreak havoc on the sporting world.
The Kolkata Knight Riders purchased Cummins for the record sum of 15.5 Crore (approximately $AU 3.2 million) at December’s IPL auction after an intense bidding war with the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Capitals. The previous highest IPL bid for an overseas player was English all-rounder Ben Stokes, picked up by Pune in 2017 for $3 million.
In March, authorities in Delhi announced they would not allow any sporting activity in the national capital due to the health crisis. Scheduled to start on March 29th, the 2020 IPL tournament was postponed to April 15th – however, it seems increasingly likely the competition will be delayed further, or even abandoned.
Cummins could therefore lose $3.2 million if the IPL does not go ahead this year.
“I’m a little bit (nervous). They obviously haven’t cancelled it yet. But the travel ban is still in until April 14th, so I don’t expect anything to happen too soon,” Cummins told The Herald Sun.
“The last I spoke to (KKR) they were still really confident and hopeful it’ll go on at some stage.”
If the 26-year-old played all 14 matches in the group stage, he was poised to make $9,226 for every delivery he bowled during the six-week tournament.
Australian teammate Glenn Maxwell signed with the Kings XI Punjab for $2.2 million, while reigning champions the Mumbai Indians paid $1.6 million for paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile.
There have been suggestions the IPL could be postponed until October, but this would only be possible if the ICC delayed the T20 Cricket World Cup.
The BCCI said it was “taking all necessary steps to ensure that, all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience”. The IPL is estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy.
Cricket Australia announced on Wednesday they would postpone announcing new player contract by at least a month due to financial uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
Cummins has previously expressed a desire for greater job security from Cricket Australia, who do not offer players contracts longer than 12 months.
“It didn’t happen this year. They just said they weren’t offering anyone longer-term (deals) this year,” Cummins said in October.
“Like anyone in your job, you want more than 12 months’ security always.”
Cummins sits at No. 1 on the ICC Test Bowling Rankings and was Australia’s highest wicket-taker during the 2019 Ashes series. He has taken 284 international wickets and boasts a Test bowling average of 21.82.
Originally published as Pat Cummins’ mammoth IPL contract under threat due to coronavirus outbreak
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