Pat Cummins Rejects Claims of BBL Boycott Amid SA20 and The Hundred Offers

Australia captain Pat Cummins has strongly denied reports claiming that he and several senior Australian players were unhappy with Cricket Australia over contracts and BBL salaries. The fast bowler directly responded to the rumours on social media and called the claims completely false.

According to a report by The Age, players like Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were reportedly frustrated because some overseas players were earning more money than Australian stars in the Big Bash League (BBL). The report also claimed that senior players wanted guaranteed contracts worth nearly $1 million for participating in the tournament.

It was further reported that some Australian cricketers were considering skipping the BBL and requesting No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to play in leagues like SA20 2027 and The Hundred instead. Both tournaments are expected to clash with the BBL schedule.

However, Pat Cummins quickly rejected the reports and publicly criticised the journalist behind the story.

“Everything you’ve written about me in this about SA20 NOC and The Hundred offer is made up,” Cummins wrote on X while dismissing the rumours.

The report had also claimed that Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood were offered pre-auction deals worth around $800,000 each to participate in The Hundred 2026. Interestingly, several teams in both The Hundred and SA20 are linked with IPL franchise owners.

Global T20 Leagues Push CA Into Action

Earlier this month, reports suggested that Cricket Australia was preparing lucrative long-term contracts for players like Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, and Cameron Green. These discussions reportedly started after concerns that global T20 leagues were trying to attract Australian players with massive offers.

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia also faced criticism for delays in fitness clearances for Cummins, Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc ahead of IPL 2026. Because of this, IPL franchises had to wait for the Australian pacers to join their squads.

Josh Hazlewood joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru after missing only a few games, while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc missed a bigger part of the season. Despite returning late, Cummins has performed well for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Hazlewood has remained an important player for RCB.

Mitchell Starc, however, has struggled to make a big impact for Delhi Capitals, who are currently close to elimination from the playoff race. On the other hand, SRH and RCB are both in strong positions to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs.

Australia’s 2026/27 Central Contracts

Category	Players
New Contracts	Xavier Bartlett, Brendan Doggett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
Retained Players	Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Not Retained	Usman Khawaja (retired), Sam Konstas, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short