Cummins, Head turn down USD 10 million offers to quit international cricket

SYDNEY: Australian captain Pat Cummins and star batter Travis Head have reportedly rejected lucrative offers worth nearly USD 10 million each to leave international cricket and join franchise-based T20 leagues full-time.

According to reports, the informal approach came from an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise group seeking to lure the Australian duo into a global T20 network spanning India, the UAE, the USA, and the Caribbean.

With the rapid growth of franchise cricket, IPL team owners have expanded their reach by acquiring stakes in leagues such as SA20, ILT20, Major League Cricket (MLC), Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and The Hundred. 

These leagues now offer players multi-million-dollar contracts — often far exceeding what they earn from national boards.

Top Australian cricketers contracted by Cricket Australia (CA) reportedly earn around AUD 1.5 million (approximately INR 8.7 crore) annually. 

Cummins, as national captain, earns close to AUD 3 million (INR 17.5 crore), while his IPL deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad adds another USD 3.7 million (INR 18 crore). Head, who also represents the same franchise, earns about USD 1.2 million (INR 14 crore).

Despite the financial allure, both Cummins and Head remain committed to representing Australia across formats.

Head, in particular, made it clear he has no intention of leaving international cricket despite the temptations of franchise wealth.

During a recent interview, opener Travis Head explained that he decided to play in the Major League Cricket (MLC) to experience franchise cricket firsthand.

He said he wanted to understand the demands of playing consecutive tournaments such as the IPL, World Cup, and MLC, describing it as an opportunity to experience four months of continuous franchise cricket and learn how different systems operate.

“I played MLC to get a taste of what it would be like to play franchise cricket. I had IPL in a World Cup into MLC, so I wanted to see what it was like to basically play four months of franchise cricket. You want to have every option available to you, you want to experience things and understand how things operate,” Head said.

“A lot of people are making certain decisions around the world, and it was a perfect opportunity for me to understand that and see what it was like for whenever the time comes for what I may or may not do in the future. Whether I could do it, whether I liked it, whether I was good at it. I hadn’t played a lot of T20 cricket for a period of time, so it was about getting back into that,” he added.

The 31-year-old batter emphasised that while the experience was valuable, his primary focus remains on national duty.

“It was a perfect time in my life to do that, and now that time has moved past. Currently, I’m playing for Australia, and I don’t see a timeline where I can play anything else, really,” he concluded.