“They don’t have the same sense of national identity” - Ex-cricketer opens up on Pat Cummins & Travis Head declining huge IPL offer

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has opened up on the hot topic of Travis Head and Pat Cummins declining a whopping INR 58 Crore offer to quit Australian cricket and focus solely on franchise leagues across the world.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra stated that players with security and stature can only afford to decline such huge offers. It’s important to note that both Cummins & Head are key players for the Australian national team across three formats. 

Both Australian stars are currently plying their trade for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. While Cummins captains the franchise, Head emerged as an explosive opening batter alongside Abhishek Sharma.

“I’m not entirely sure how credible the reports are, but it’s being said that Cummins and Head declined this offer. Given the scale, it’s likely coming from an IPL franchise, since these organisations also own teams in most of the major T20 leagues worldwide, except the BBL,” Chopra explained on his YouTube channel.

Furthermore, Chopra also explained the key differences between players from Australia and the West Indies. Interestingly, a lot of Caribbean players have taken the franchise route due to financial instability. Most recently, explosive keeper-batter Nicholas Pooran announced his retirement from international cricket to focus on franchise leagues across the globe.

“The contract is enormous, but the Australians can afford to say no. For West Indian players, it would be a very different story. They don’t have the same sense of national identity, there’s no anthem echoing when the West Indies take the field,” he added.

It’s worth noting that the top Australian players, including Starc, Head, and Hazlewood, earn about INR 8.7 crore per year from their national contracts, while Cummins nearly earns double of it.

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