By It all began with a royal-like pose beside Rohit Sharma, with the World Cup trophy as the centerpiece, at the historic stepwells of Adalaj, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. This was followed by a pre-wedding-like modeling session with West Indian counterpart Kraigg Brathwaite on the iconic hill at the Adelaide Oval. The two Test captains even flipped their sunglasses like teenagers in love.
On Saturday, May 25, Pat Cummins participated in his latest photoshoot, possibly the most elaborate yet. He stood side-by-side with Shreyas Iyer, the IPL trophy next to them, at a merry-go-round at Marina Beach. He then proudly placed his arm over an auto-rickshaw, resembling Rajnikanth reprising his Autokaran role, while Iyer watched from the front seat. Cummins has managed to make all these poses work, very matter-of-factly and without fuss. His stint as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain in 2024 has been a whirlwind, both on and off the field, as he has endeared himself to the people and fans of Hyderabad with equal precision and lack of fuss.
Mitchell Starc, on the other hand, is not one for posing. Despite being as professional as his fellow Australian fast bowler on the field, the left-arm quick has never been natural at putting himself in unnatural settings off the field for promotional purposes. Not being captain has surely helped him avoid constant limelight away from the cricket field, unlike Cummins.
However, there was no way the 34-year-old Starc was going to escape the spotlight, especially after his record-breaking Rs 24.75 crore price tag at the IPL auction. This was his return to the glitzy league after a nine-year hiatus.
The standout image from Starc’s comeback season in the IPL so far was him roaring after knocking out Gerald Coetzee’s stumps in his spell of 4/33 against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on May 4. This was his first real display of emotion in Kolkata Knight Riders’ colors, and his first significant performance of the season.
Cummins and Starc: Diverse Showmanship at IPL Summit
Cummins and Starc will have a chance to pose with the diamond-encrusted IPL trophy at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai later tonight. Their rides to the grand final, on an individual front, have been as contrasting as the pace duo getting their multi-million IPL deals in the first place.
Cummins, with 17 wickets at 32.23 and an economy of 9.28, hasn’t set the tournament alight with the ball. However, his impact in Hyderabad has been evident. He took last season’s wooden spooners to No. 2 in the table at the end of the league stage, followed by a knockout win against Rajasthan Royals to secure a place in the final. He has brought a calming effect to the volatile franchise, which has had numerous changes in captaincy and coaching staff over the years. Like with the Australian team, he has created an environment in the dressing room that allows different characters to flourish. This has enabled both local and foreign players to excel while staying true to their inherent approach to batting and bowling.
Cummins has also delivered crucial individual overs at vital stages to close out games or turn matches around. Throughout, he has won over Hyderabad in a different fashion than his compatriot David Warner did as captain when the Sunrisers last made an IPL final, which they won.
Starc, on the other hand, had only played 40 T20s in all over a nine-year period since his last appearance in the IPL. Most of them were for Australia, including three T20 World Cups. He had even lost his place in the side towards the end of the disappointing home campaign in the 2022 edition of the World Cup. But he was still white-ball royalty. Not many were surprised when Kolkata Knight Riders were prepared to bid their entire auction purse for the left-arm superstar. If they win their third title, it might well be a masterstroke in hindsight.
The auction and the final bookend every IPL season. Cummins and Starc were the headline stealers on auction day, and five months later, they are poised to be the headline stealers on the night of the final as well. And maybe even Starc might not mind a pose or two if it ends up being him.
