Pat Cummins silences cricket critics after latest IPL triumph as captain

Aussie captain Pat Cummins has silenced the critics that have previously doubted he is a captain having guided the Hyderabad Sunrisers to the IPL playoffs after a rained out match. Cummins entered the IPL draft having pulled out of last year's tournament due to the heavy workload of the international schedule.

In that time, Cummins won the ICC Champions Trophy, retained the Ashes in the UK and won the One Day International World Cup. He did all of this as captain of his country. During this time, Cummins came under plenty of scrutiny for his captaincy style. The quick was often labelled a defensive captain, especially during the Ashes, and he came under pressure.

Australia also started the ODI in horrible form having lost three games in a row. However, a winning streak saw them defeat the host's India in the final. And now, Cummins helped guide the Sunrisers to the IPL playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Travis Head and Cummins needed to defeat the Titans on Thursday. Although they didn't need to bowl a ball after a washout allowed the Aussie duo to advance with their team into the playoffs. Cummins was purchased for $3.67 million in the IPL draft and many felt his price tag a gamble.

Only fellow Aussie quick Mitchell Starc has ever gone for more money in the IPL. And Cummins has made sure to live up to the price tag having taken 14 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 9.25. His economy is quite significant when looking at some of the record-breaking scores seen in the 2024 tournament.

Cummins continues to win over the cricket world with his captaincy and ability year-after-year. And he has also once again shown why he was awarded the International Cricketer of the Year after a stunning year in the game.

Pat Cummins defies critics once again

After Cummins' epic price tag, former Aussie bowler Jason Gillespie questioned whether Cummins was worth the enormous fee. "Pat's obviously a quality bowler and a quality leader, we've seen that ... I just don't think T20 is his best format," Gillespie told SEN Radio last year. "I think he's a Test bowler, personally. I think Test cricket is his absolute bread and butter.

"He's a good T20 bowler, make no mistake - but that's massive overs for me." Cummins' stats - before this tournament - in the IPL perhaps backed up Gillespie's concerns, with the Aussie skipper taking just seven wickets in five games for Kolkata in his last season in the competition in 2022 - having skipped the 2023 edition of the tournament. However, Sunrisers fans will now hit back at this criticism with the Aussie giving them IPL playoff cricket for the first time in four years.

Mitchell Starc progresses after rollercoaster campaign

While Cummins has enjoyed a successful return to the IPL, Starc has been under pressure over his performances. The Kolkata Knights Riders bought Starc for a record-breaking total. The Aussie quick has been arguably the best white-ball bowler on the international scene across the last few years.

However, the Aussie endured plenty of backlash after leaking runs, without taking many wickets, in the first-half of the campaign. This is despite his team sitting at the the top of the table. However, Starc is starting to deliver towards the end of the tournament having taken five wickets for just 66 runs across his last three matches.

This was highlighted with a brutal 4-33 against the Mumbai Indians three games a go. The Knight Riders played the Mumbai Indians again, but Starc only bowled one over finishing with 0-11. Regardless, Starc and the Knight Riders qualified in first position for the playoffs with a game to spare.