Many saw Sunrisers Hyderabad's decision to appoint Pat Cummins as their new captain for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as a gamble amidst their title drought since 2016. Former India's star pacer Irfan Pathan also sees Cummins captaincy as the same way as he expressed concerns about Cummins' underwhelming track record in IPL. Despite this SRH broke the bank on Cummins in the IPL 2024 auction, acquiring him for a whopping ₹20.50 crore, making him the second-most expensive player in IPL history.
This move comes after a string of disappointing seasons for SRH. They haven't reached the playoffs since 2020 and finished last in IPL 2023. Pathan suggests that SRH might be banking on Cummins' recent success as Australia's captain, who led them to victories in both the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup in 2023. Whether Cummins can translate his international leadership skills and translate them into IPL success for SRH remains to be seen.
Sunrisers Hyderabad taking punt on Pat Cummins: Irfan Pathan
"Sunrisers Hyderabad taking punt on Pat Cummins momentum which is especially good for him from last two seasons be it ICC 50 overs World Cup and WTC final and the way he is performing at an international level,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
While Pat Cummins' leadership skills shone during the ODI World Cup win on Indian soil, his IPL record presents a different picture. Cummins, who most recently played for the Kolkata Knight Riders, has a batting average of just 18.95 across his 42 IPL matches, mustering a total of 379 runs. His bowling record is more impressive, with 45 wickets taken, but the economy rate of 8.54 suggests he can sometimes be expensive with the ball. This mixed bag of statistics raises questions about his ability to translate his international success into the high-pressure environment of the IPL.
“My doubt is only there as his IPL numbers are not that great eight and half economy in the IPL which is quite high for a premier quality fast bowler, hopefully that can change in one season, so Sunrisers Hyderabad will be hoping he will able to come and lead the side to the victory which they haven’t got it from some time now but I certainly think that T20 cricket is a different form of game compare to 50 overs and test cricket,” Pathan concluded.
SRH will play their first match of the IPL 2024 against Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders on March 23 .
Sunrisers Hyderabad's full squad of IPL 2024
Glenn Phillips (NZ), Upendra Singh Yadav, Heinrich Klaasen (SA), Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram (SA), Rahul Tripathi, Mayank Agarwal, Travis Head (AUS), Anmolpreet Singh, Washington Sundar, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen (SA), Pat Cummins (AUS), T. Natarajan, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Fazalhaq Farooqi (AFG), Jhathavedh Subramanyan.
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