IPL Auction 2020: Pat Cummins becomes the most expensive foreign player in IPL history
What's the story?
Pat Cummins has become the most expensive overseas player in IPL history as Kolkata Knight Riders submitted a bid of ₹15.50 crore for his services during the ongoing IPL 2020 Auction. The top-ranked fast bowler in Test cricket pipped Ben Stokes by a crore to claim the number one position in the list of most expensive overseas signings.
The background
Over the years, several players have made history by grabbing bids of over 10 crores. However, only Yuvraj Singh had managed to get a bid of more than 15 crores in an auction. Among the foreign players, Ben Stokes had earned a ₹14.50 crore bid and, the Englishman held the record of being the costliest overseas player.
The heart of the matter
Pat Cummins entered the auction as a part of the all-rounders category and he instantly started a bidding war between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the auction. Both the franchises took his price above the 10 crores mark. Eventually, it seemed like the Bangalore-based team would win this war, however, Kolkata Knight Riders surprised everyone by entering the race at the last moment.
Venky Mysore and co. signed him up with a winning bid of ₹15.50 crore. The Aussie has played for KKR earlier also when he was signed prior to the 2014 edition of the league. Talking about his numbers in T20 cricket, the right-arm quick has scalped 92 wickets in 77 games while giving away runs at an economy rate of 7.72.
What's next?
Earlier in the auction, Kolkata Knight Riders had bolstered their batting line-up by adding Eoin Morgan to the squad. With the inclusion of Pat Cummins, their foreign contingent looks stacked now.