The Indian Premier League (IPL) has never been shy about flexing its financial muscle, but it turns out that even millions of dollars aren’t enough to convince Australians to abandon national duty for full-time franchise cricket.
According to reports in Australian media, an IPL franchise allegedly approached Pat Cummins and Travis Head earlier this year during the IPL season, offering each a reported $10 million to quit international cricket and commit to franchise cricket full-time. The lucrative contracts were aimed at luring them away from their Cricket Australia commitments but both players declined, reaffirming that representing their country remains their top priority.
The revelation surfaced during discussions around the potential privatization of Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), where concerns were raised about Cricket Australia’s financial vulnerabilities and the growing influence of overseas leagues, particularly the IPL.
Cummins, who earns around $3 million annually including his captaincy allowance, and Head, who receives approximately $1.5 million under his central contract, were among the top targets, a clear sign that wealthy franchise groups are looking to reshape the global cricket landscape.
The IPL group behind the approach hasn’t been officially named, but Australian outlets suggest it belongs to one of the tournament’s most powerful ownership groups. Since both Cummins and Head play for Sunrisers Hyderabad, which owns teams in South Africa’s SA20 and recently acquired the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, many suspect it was them.
This isn’t the first time such offers have surfaced. In 2023, England fast bowler Jofra Archer was reportedly offered $7.5 million for a one-year deal by an IPL franchise, which he turned down to remain available for England. Still, several players in recent years have opted to retire from international cricket to pursue franchise careers across the globe.
If this trend is any indication, we may very well see players like Heinrich Klaasen and Nicholas Pooran become the norm, prioritizing franchise cricket over national duty.
For now, though, Cummins and Head’s decision sends a clear message: national pride still outweighs the paycheck, even in an era where franchise leagues are rewriting the economics of the sport.