Pat Cummins for SRH [Source: AFP]Australian cricket is heading towards a salary crisis. Captain Pat Cummins and fast bowling partner Josh Hazlewood are among a group of senior players seriously thinking about skipping the Big Bash League in January 2028 to play in South Africa's SA20 tournament instead. As per a report from The Age, the money on offer in Australia simply does not match what rival leagues are paying. Unless Cricket Australia (CA) can guarantee close to $1 million per player for BBL participation, the country's best cricketers, including Pat Cummins, may look elsewhere. The SA20 Threat That Is Luring Away Pat Cummins And Others According to sources with knowledge of confidential discussions, Cummins and other senior players are ready to request no-objection certificates from CA to play in the SA20 in 2028 if a fair pay deal cannot be reached for the BBL. The SA20, along with England's Hundred competition, has already established what top-tier players are worth in the global franchise market, and that number sits at nearly $1 million for a short tournament window. The 2027-28 Australian summer was supposed to be the BBL's moment. With only lower-profile tours from Pakistan and Sri Lanka planned, the BBL was set to be front and centre. However, that opportunity could fall flat if CA cannot get its best players on board. The Hundred Money The Players Said No To The Age reveals that Cummins, Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc were each offered pre-auction signing fees of around $800,000 to play in the Hundred this year. All three turned it down to be available for the Top End Test series against Bangladesh in August. Mitch Marsh, Tim David, and Adam Zampa were among the Australians who signed for the tournament. Pat Cummins spoke openly about the pressure this creates, saying on the Business of Sport podcast. "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. I think it is a tension point. At the moment, our guys are so keen to play for Australia that they're happy to forgo that, but I don't think we can accept that that is going to be the case forever," Cummins said.Also Read- Pat Cummins Punished, Australia Squad, Ben Stokes Return- May 13 Cricket HighlightsCA Scraps The Overseas Draft Cricket Australia is aware of the problem and is considering a significant change, which will be scrapping the overseas player draft entirely. Since 2022, more than $20 million has been paid to "platinum" and "gold" tier international imports through the draft. CA believes redirecting that money toward Pat Cummins’ men could help bridge the pay gap. Former CA chief executive Malcolm Speed backed this view, "There's a premium for international players in the BBL, they get about $100,000 more than the top Australian players. Get rid of that. The Australians deserve to be paid as much as everyone else." CA's head of cricket James Allsopp acknowledged the challenge directly, "There's a world now where they can jump on the franchise circuit and make a really good living away from Australian cricket, or even away from our BBL, and that's not going to be in the best interests of Australian cricket." Cricket Australia Under Constant Pressure The tension is not just between players and CA. Several Australian BBL players are frustrated about the money being handed to lesser-known overseas players through the draft. Meanwhile, CA's recent multi-year, multi-million dollar contract extensions offered to Cummins and Travis Head have created resentment among players lower on the contract list. Adding to the dysfunction, CA recently failed to reach consensus on plans to sell stakes in all eight BBL clubs, meaning private investors will not be in place for the 2027-28 season as originally hoped. CA and Cricket Victoria are set to meet to discuss the Renegades potentially moving ahead with a private sale independently. Pat Cummins himself has not played a single BBL match since 2019, though he remains loosely attached to the Sydney Thunder. Unless CA acts decisively on player pay, that absence is likely to continue, and others may follow.Also Read- CSK Pioneer Summoned To Join BCCI Setup After IPL 2026
