Overview

• An IPL-affiliated ownership group informally offered Pat Cummins and Travis Head nearly AUD 10 million each per year to play franchise T20 leagues full-time, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
• Both players declined the approaches and remain committed to representing Australia across formats.
• Cricket Australia, state associations and the players’ union have discussed the offers while weighing Big Bash League privatisation, with no formal decision announced.
• The pay gap looms large: top central contracts are about AUD 1.5 million, Cummins’ international income is roughly AUD 3 million, and recent IPL deals paid him about USD 3.7 million and Head about USD 1.2 million.
• Similar dynamics have surfaced before, with Jofra Archer reportedly rejecting a year-round Mumbai Indians deal in 2023, while Heinrich Klaasen quit internationals in June to pursue franchise cricket exclusively.