In a dazzling turn of events at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai, Pat Cummins, the triumphant captain of Australia’s World Cup cricket team, etched his name on history by shattering the record for the highest-priced player in IPL history. Sunrisers Hyderabad emerged victorious in a fierce bidding battle with Royal Challengers Bangalore, securing Cummins’ talent for a staggering Rs 20.50 crore on Tuesday.

Starting with a modest base price of Rs 2 crore, Cummins found himself at the epicenter of an intense bidding war, primarily contested between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Sunrisers franchise. The dynamic all-rounder made history by becoming the first player in IPL history to score more than 20 crores in a single instant.

Surpassing the previous record set by England’s Sam Curran, who fetched Rs 18.50 crore in the 2023 auction, the 30-year-old not only claimed the title of the most expensive overseas player but also cemented his status as the costliest player ever in IPL history.

After leading Australia to a record sixth World Cup victory against India in November at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, Cummins is accustomed to having his skills in high demand. At the IPL 2020 auction, he was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 15.5 crore.

In the realm of the IPL, Cummins boasts a career spanning 42 matches, during which he has taken 45 wickets.His worth goes beyond bowling, as he has demonstrated his ability to bat at a lower position by compiling 379 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 152.21.

The Sunrisers, grappling with a lack of stable captaincy in recent years, may find in Cummins not just a bowler who can bat but a leader capable of shouldering the responsibilities of the team’s captaincy.