Country over Cash: Pat Cummins reaffirms Australia commitment amid BBL pay dispute rumours

Pat Cummins has blasted reports of Australian seniors boycotting the Big Bash League for SA20 riches. Leading SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League, Cummins has vowed to pick his country’s T20 competition over franchise-league offers, suggesting all such reports are ‘made up.’

Replying to an X post of an Australian journalist working for The Age, who reported that Cummins is among several Aussie seniors considering choosing SA20 over BBL in 2028, if the salaries are unconvincing and not up to the franchise league standards, Cummins wrote, “Everything you’ve written about me in this about SAT20 NOC and The Hundred offer is made up👍."

Per that report, the Aussie pace trio of Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc were reportedly offered $800,000 each to participate in this year’s Hundred; not only this, but also several top ones, including Cummins, may seek a no-objection certificate (NOC) to boycott BBL (by 2028) for a $1 m contract with the South African T20 League.

Reports of Cricket Australia (CA) suffering from financial pressure created by franchise leagues worldwide, with tournaments including the SA20 and The Hundred offering contracts significantly higher than what local players earn in the Big Bash League. It also suggests that the CA is exploring changes to the BBL structure, including scrapping the overseas draft system, in an attempt to fill Australian players’ pockets.

Country first, always for Cummins

Cummins has always prioritised country over anything else, and his stance didn’t change despite reports that several franchise leagues were eyeing his services. Outside of playing for Australia across formats, Cummins features for a few T20 leagues, including the IPL, BBL and MLC.

Aware of the finances around such leagues and international cricket, the lanky seamer spoke in detail during his chat on the Business of Sports Podcast.

“Obviously a big Ashes series – all the main guys want to play that series,” Cummins had said on the Business of Sport podcast. “For example, during the Hundred this season, we’ve got two Test matches against Bangladesh. All our guys that will play in that Test match have opted out of going to the Hundred auction, but that’s not going to be the case forever.

“Some of our guys are saying no to half a million pounds for 20 days’ work to go and play those two Test matches against Bangladesh. I think it is a tension point. At the moment, our guys are so keen to play for Australia that they’re happy to forgo that, but I don’t think we can accept that that is going to be the case forever,” Cummins concluded.

Meanwhile, currently leading SRH in IPL 2026, Cummins’ team is third on the points table with 14 points from 12 matches.