Pat Cummins in action during IPL 2026© AFP
Australian cricket team skipper Pat Cummins took to social media to dismiss reports claiming he was part of a group of cricketers considering playing in SA20 over the Big Bash League (BBL). Cummins, who is Australia’s Test and ODI captain, is currently representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL 2026. Reports in the Australian media alleged that senior cricketers might threaten Cricket Australia (CA) with a boycott of the BBL in a bid to increase their salaries. “Everything you’ve written about me in this about SAT20 NOC and The Hundred offer is made up,” he wrote on X in response to a writer for the Australian newspaper The Age. The report presented Cummins as a leader of the group and alleged they requested AUD 1 million (around Rs 7 crore) to play in the 2027-28 BBL season.
Everything you’ve written about me in this about SAT20 NOC and The Hundred offer is made up
— Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) May 14, 2026
Meanwhile, former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is set to be appointed head coach of Sydney Thunder, marking his first overseas franchise coaching role after his recent work with England Lions and in The Hundred.
The Thunder are expected to confirm Flintoff’s appointment shortly after completing their search for a new mentor following the departure of Trevor Bayliss, as reported by Code Sports, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Bayliss spent five seasons with the franchise and guided them to the BBL final in the 2024-25 campaign, although the side also endured last-place finishes in 2023-24 and 2025-26.
Thunder management had publicly stated their intention to recruit a “world-class T20 coach”, and Flintoff has emerged as their preferred choice following his growing coaching involvement with England’s development pathways.
Flintoff has served as coach of the England Lions over the past year, including overseeing their tour of Australia that ran alongside England’s Ashes campaign. He also worked briefly with England’s white-ball sides as a consultant during Matthew Mott’s tenure.
The appointment could create a scheduling conflict later this year, with the England Lions due to tour South Africa in December at the same time the Big Bash League begins.
However, it is understood that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) would be willing to release Flintoff early from that assignment to allow him to start with the Thunder.
(With agency inputs)
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