In the upcoming Indian Premier League season (IPL), Australian captain Pat Cummins would take over as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) captain, according to legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. At the auction, Pat Cummins was purchased by SRH for a record-breaking Rs. 20.50 crore.
Before his teammate Mitchell Starc eventually overtook him and was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping Rs. 24.75 crore, he was the most expensive acquisition. SRH’s other expensive purchase at the auction was Travis Head, which cost ₹6.80 crore.
In addition to being a fantastic bowler, Cummins can make an impact at the bat, according to Gavaskar. The Australian captain for both Test and ODI cricket struck a half-century for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) off 14 balls.
Pat Cummins will make a huge difference- Sunil Gavaskar on Cummins’ leadership aspect
Gavaskar spoke eloquently on Cummins’ leadership qualities during a Star Sports discussion. He stated that he wanted Pat Cummins to be the team’s leader because he had the leadership traits that SRH lacked the previous season.
“I think Pat Cummins was a smart buy, maybe a little over-expensive. Smart buy because he will bring the leadership aspect to their team, which was lacking the last time around,” said Sunil Gavaskar.
SRH, led by Aiden Markram in the IPL 2023, had just four wins out of 14 games, finishing last in the points standings. Gavaskar drew attention to Markram’s poor tactical choices, which cost SRH some crucial games. He is confident that this season, Pat Cummins will be the team’s leader.
“Last time around, some of the bowling changes that we saw in crucial games were just head-scratching, and that cost them matches. So now with Pat Cummins coming in, I am pretty certain that he will be the captain of the team and that will make a huge difference,” he added.
In 42 IPL games, Pat Cummins has claimed 45 wickets at a mediocre 8.54 economy rate. In T20Is, the Australian seamer has performed better, with 55 dismissals at a respectable economy rate of 7.37 in 50 games.
He is the kind of batter who can take the game away from you- Sunil Gavaskar on Travis Head
Regarding the SunRisers Hyderabad’s signing of Travis Head, Sunil Gavaskar was questioned further. He responded:
“Travis Head is the kind of batter who can take the game away from you. He did that in the World Cup finals. He is just the ideal No. 1 in a 20-overs game for the SunRisers Hyderabad.”
The former cricket player and current commentator believes that the southpaw player from Australia can open with either Mayank Agarwal or Rahul Tripathi.
“So, he and whoever opens with him, whether it’s Mayank Agarwal or whether it’s Rahul Tripathi, who started as an opener and then went in the middle, if he comes in the opening slot again, then it will be entertaining batting for sure,” Gavaskar added.
With averages in the 20s and strike rates in the 120s, Agarwal and Tripathi’s performances for the SRH in the IPL 2023 were lackluster. Abhishek Sharma is another opening possibility for the 2016 IPL champions. The left-handed batter from Punjab finished the previous season with a below-average average of 20.55 but a superior strike total of 143.94.