Australia captain Pat Cummins has dismissed reports that he and other senior players are considering skipping the Big Bash League in favor of South Africa’s SA20 from 2028 if their salaries are not increased.
According to reports, several Australian players are said to be considering requesting No Obligation Certificates (NOCs) from Cricket Australia to feature in the SA20.
The report suggested that Big Bash League players can earn around AUD 1 million per season.
The same report also claimed that Australia’s pace trio – Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – were each paid AUD 800,000 as a pre-auction signing fee to play in The Hundred in 2026.
However, it is said that if such contracts are accepted, they may be dropped from Australia’s two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
Cummins, however, firmly denied the speculation, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify that the claims were false. “You wrote about me in this about the SA20 NOC and The Hundred Offer,” he wrote.
The reports come amid wider debate over Australian player contracts and union contracts.
Earlier this month, Australia’s chairman of selectors, George Bailey, calmed concerns over players allegedly rejecting initial contract offers, describing such developments as a routine part of negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Australia national cricket team is set to return to international action with a three-match ODI series against Pakistan, starting on May 30 in Rawalpindi. Mitchell Marsh will lead the side in Cummins’ absence.
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