Pat Cummins, who led Australia to their 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup triumph, has been named as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Cummins takes over the baton from South African batter Aiden Markram, who led the team in 2023.
Cummins was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a staggering fee of Rs 20.50 crore at the IPL 2024 auction, following a battle of bids against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He also became the most expensive player of the tournament for a brief period, before being eclipsed by fellow Aussie Mitchell Starc.
Cummins has played 42 matches in the IPL, representing two franchises – Kolkata Knight Riders and the erstwhile Delhi Daredevils. In those matches, he has picked up 45 wickets at an average of 30.16 and an economy rate of 8.54 runs per over, besides also scoring 379 runs, which includes an astonishing 15-ball 56 against Mumbai Indians.
Having made his IPL debut in 2014, Cummins featured in the 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions of the competition. Albeit, he opted to skip the previous instalment, prioritising international cricket.
Following Tim Paine’s resignation in November 2021, Pat Cummins was handed the captaincy of the Australian Test team, becoming the first bowler to be bestowed with the responsibility. He took over ODI captaincy a year later, after Aaron Finch announced his retirement from the format.
As the leader of the Baggy Greens, Cummins led Australia to their maiden ICC World Test Championship triumph and their fifth ODI World Cup victory. However, he is currently not leading the team in T20I cricket, with Mitchell Marsh being the captain of Australia in the recently-concluded T20I series against New Zealand.
In his T20I career, Cummins has scalped 57 wickets in 52 matches, with his average being 24.77 and his economy rate being 7.43 runs per over. As for his numbers with the bat, Cummins has scored 144 runs in this format.
Despite Winning Two Titles With Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Aiden Markram’s Tenure Comes to an End
Cummins’ appointment marks an end to the tenure of Aiden Markram, who led the team in IPL 2023. Albeit the South African batter did not have the best of seasons last year, scoring only 248 runs at an average of 22.54, Markram led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to two consecutive SA20 titles – a reason why the decision comes as a surprise to some.
With Cummins now leading the team, the 2016 champions will task of selecting three foreigners from a star-studded list of seven – comprising Travis Head, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Glenn Phillips, Wanindu Hasaranga, Marco Jansen and Fazalhaq Farooqi – for their playing XI.
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