Legendary Sunil Gavaskar feels Pat Cummins will attract the most interest from all 10 franchises in the upcoming mini-auction of Indian Premier League 2024. Cummins withdrew himself from IPL 2023 for the World Cup preparation and will again participate in the mini-auction.
The Australian skipper took 15 wickets in 11 ODI World Cup 2023 matches and played a key role in taking Australia to glory for the sixth time. Cummins has set his base price at INR 2 crores for the IPL auction.
Meanwhile, Cummins played for Kolkata Knight Riders and smashed a quickfire fifty while batting down the order. The gun fast bowler has taken 45 wickets in 42 IPL matches at an average of 30.16 and an economy rate of 8.54. He has also scored 379 runs in the lucrative tournament.
“I think there will be tremendous interest in Pat Cummins. Don’t forget when he played for KKR, he got the fastest fifty at one stage. So he can play as a batter as well, apart from the fact that he’s one of the best bowlers that the game has seen. I think he would be the one that will attract the most interest from all the franchises,” said Gavaskar on Star Sports.
On the other hand, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Cummins has got an X-factor and he will certainly add value to any team he plays for in the IPL.
“Pat Cummins would be a great addition on a pitch with where, you know most bowlers struggle. He has got that X factor and out of the box thinking, you know, just something of a wild card,” said Manjrekar on Star Sports.
“A couple of teams looking for leadership, different leadership. SunRisers Hyderabad with Aiden Markram, Punjab Kings with Shikhar Dhawan. So Pat Cummins recent performance as a leader as well could maybe get the attention of a few team owners as well. Unlikely to happen, but can’t rule that out,” added Manjrekar.
The IPL 2024 mini-auction will be held in Dubai on December 19.
