Australia captain Pat Cummins has strongly dismissed reports that Australia’s top cricketers could leave the Big Bash League (BBL) for South Africa’s SA20 due to a widening pay gap in global franchise cricket.
A report by The Age claimed that several senior Australian players, including Cummins, were considering obtaining no-objection certificates (NOCs) from 2028 to prioritize the SA20 during the January window if Cricket Australia failed to improve player salaries in line with the fast-growing T20 market.
The report suggested Australia’s top stars across formats command almost $1 million in overseas franchise leagues, significantly more than current BBL contracts, and warned Cricket Australia may struggle to retain its biggest names if the pay gap continues to widen.
However, Cummins publicly brushed off the claims, calling out the news directly on social media.
“Everything you wrote about me in this about SA20 NOC and The Hundred offer is made up,” Cummins wrote on X, responding to the journalist responsible for the report.
The story went on to claim that fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have been approached by the England centurion with offers worth around $800,000, underscoring the growing financial pull of franchise cricket outside of Australia.
While Cummins dismissed suggestions he was preparing to leave the BBL, the wider debate over player payments and the future of Australian domestic T20 cricket has intensified in recent months.
According to the report, several senior players were unhappy with Cricket Australia’s initial contract offers, with negotiations focused on guaranteed payments, match fees and more flexibility on NOCs for overseas franchise leagues.
Australian Chairman of Selectors George Bailey admits there is ‘tension’ in the market as players weighed national commitments and lucrative opportunities abroad.
Bailey said the situation was not unusual at this stage of the contracting cycle, but acknowledged frustration among Australia’s leading white-ball players at the growing gap between BBL salaries and overseas franchise deals.
The report also quoted Cummins as warning that while the Australian players remained deeply committed to representing the national side, the financial realities of the global T20 market could ultimately not be ignored.
“Some of our guys are saying no to half a million pounds for 20 days’ work to go and play those two Test matches against Bangladesh,” Cummins said.
“At the moment our guys are so keen to play for Australia that they’re happy to give it up, but I don’t think we can accept that it’s going to be like that forever.”
Cricket Australia is understood to be considering several measures to strengthen the BBL’s position, including the possibility of scrapping the overseas draft system to redirect more money to retaining local stars.
CA head of cricket James Allsopp also acknowledged the growing challenge posed by the rapid expansion of franchise leagues around the world, particularly in the white-ball format, as governing bodies struggle to balance international cricket with the financial strength of the global T20 circuit.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
May 14, 2026 12:32 PM IST
