Kolkata: BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has justified the whopping price for which Pat Cummins was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), saying it was because of the “high demand” for the leading Australian pacer that saw him bag a jackpot at the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
Cummins was bought by KKR for Rs155 million, which made him the most expensive foreign player in IPL history.
“I don’t think (Cummins’ price being too high). It has a lot to do with the demand. Especially these small auctions bringing players in go after go. Ben Stokes became a part of this small auction and that’s why his value went off the roof of Rs140 million,” Ganguly said.
Cummins had previously played for KKR in the 2014 season. He played just one match that year. In the last three years, Cummins has seen an upturn in fortune, becoming a mainstay in the Australian pace attack and is currently the No. 1 ranked Test bowler.
On Thursday, he surpassed Ben Stokes as the most expensive foreign buy in the history of the IPL auctions. Stokes was bought by Rising Pune Supergiant for Rs145 million for the 2019 edition.
