How Pat Cummins’ love for technology lured him to Major League Cricket

Star Australia skipper Pat Cummins is all set to make his way to the USA for the upcoming season of the MLC (Major League Cricket). It is interesting to note that an average player in the tournament can earn up to INR 2.5 crore for seven matches and two finals, whereas Cummins earned approximately INR 1.8 crore per match in the recent season of the IPL (Indian Premier League) 2024.

For the upcoming season of the MLC, Cummins has been roped in by San Francisco Unicorns, and the lead investors in the team, Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, came forward and revealed themselves as huge fans of the Australian skipper. 

“Of course we’re huge fans of Pat Cummins and really wanted him to join the team, but what really helps us out is how sort of tech-savvy and forward-thinking Pat Cummins is. He was thinking of his career beyond cricket, and he’s thinking about how to do interesting things at the intersection of technology and cricket, even after his playing days are done,” Rajaraman told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Cummins’ signing with Unicorns was made a reality thanks to the ace pacer’s shared interest in technology. The CEO of YouTube and Adobe are both connected with San Francisco, and according to Cummins’ manager, it was a chance to learn something new for the World Cup winner. 

“He’s a very curious bloke, and he likes to learn, He finds that learning about these things is really interesting. There’s a range of people connected to this franchise, including the CEO of YouTube and the CEO of Adobe. It just opens up Silicon Valley,” Cummins’ manager Neil Maxwell said.

It is worth noting that Unicorns are supported by Cricket Victoria, while Cummins’ home state of NSW supports Washington Freedom. Rajaraman and Harinarayan approached Cricket Victoria’s chief Nick Cummins regarding the signing, and Nick made it clear that Cummins does not want more opportunities to play cricket, but the signing was only possible as coming to San Francisco Unicorns opens the avenue of Silicon Valley for Pat.