(Image source from: Eenadu.net)

Australian cricket team’s Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has reportedly been given a long-term deal worth approximately USD 12 million to ensure he is available for national duties, with Test cricket being the top focus. The all-rounder, who is currently playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026, has been presented with a three-year contract that will pay him USD 4 million annually, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Previously, media sources indicated that an IPL team offered him an AUD 10 million (about USD 6.6 million) agreement to stop playing for Australia and instead compete in worldwide T20 leagues. When questioned about whether Australia's leading players deserved long-term security and better pay, CA head of cricket James Allsopp told the Sydney Morning Herald, "Definitely. They have earned this right; they have consistently performed well for Australia across formats for a long time. There is a limit to how much we can offer them under the current circumstances. This is definitely a priority right now." "It is a really challenging balancing act. One thing we know is that market pressures are increasing for players who bring in significant commercial value. The demand for multi-format players like Pat, Josh [Hazlewood], and Trav is high. So keeping them committed to Australian cricket is a major priority," he added.

The report also stated that the increased salary for Cummins will not be influenced by the number of matches he plays. Meanwhile, Cummins expressed his happiness and mentioned that the team was "clinical" after they won against Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 33 runs in their IPL 2026 match on Wednesday. SRH triumphed over PBKS at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium and climbed to the top of the points table, despite a fantastic unbeaten century from PBKS' Cooper Connolly. Cummins, who earned the Player of the Match title for his bowling efforts, commended his team’s performance, emphasizing their solid batting and effective bowling, stating that defending a score against a strong Punjab Kings team was difficult but executed well. "I believe Punjab is a strong team; they were ranked number one coming into this. I thought what our batters achieved was amazing. And then to finish the game, regardless of the score, bowling second against a team like that is always tough, but I felt we were quite clinical," Cummins said during the post-match awards.