Pat Cummins is excited about more than just cricket and money; he’s also thinking about his future after his playing career.
Pat Cummins said that playing in Major League Cricket (MLC) was an easy decision. “They asked if I wanted to come to the US for a few weeks in summer, hang out with friends, play some golf, and play cricket in a new country,” he told ESPNcricinfo from Dallas. “I jumped at it.”
Pat Cummins’ four-year contract with the San Francisco Unicorns marks a big change in the cricket world. Before this, he had only played in one overseas T20 league, the IPL. His interest was sparked by the Unicorns’ owners, Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, India-born venture capitalists in California.
Having faced several injuries early in his career, Cummins understands that professional sports are temporary. He studied business at the University of Technology Sydney during his recovery, serves on the Australian Cricketers’ Association board, and advocates for climate change action.
The owners’ Silicon Valley background appealed to Cummins. “I’m really interested in the venture-capital world,” he said. “I see this as something I might want to do after cricket, so this is a way to connect with those guys and learn from them.”
Playing in MLC gives Cummins a chance to network. He has already discussed potential opportunities informally since arriving in the US. “If I enjoy it, I might explore it more towards the end of my career and possibly move into that field after cricket.”
Cummins’ contract with the Unicorns runs until 2027, when he will be 34 and nearing the end of his international career. “I want this to be a long-term partnership,” he said. “Playing for Australia will sometimes clash with MLC, but I want to make MLC a priority when I can.”
MLC is still new, with only 25 matches at two venues. But its high salaries, short season, and the novelty of playing in the US have attracted many players. “I hadn’t thought of the Hundred,” Pat Cummins admitted.
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As the Test and ODI captain, Cummins prioritizes playing for Australia. Cricket Australia only let him play five of the seven MLC group games this year to manage his workload after the T20 World Cup. His availability for the 2025 edition will depend on a potential clash with a Test series in the Caribbean.
Pat Cummins has been rested for Australia’s white-ball tour to Scotland and England in September, giving him a break before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “People are more realistic about schedules now,” he said. “We spend over ten months a year on the road, so some tours are more important than others. For those of us who play all formats, it’s about peaking for major events, and we’ve had a lot of them in the past 18 months.”
Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are part of September’s tour, but Cummins planned to miss it. “That time has always been set aside for rest and a full pre-season,” he explained. “Once the MLC opportunity came up, it didn’t change much. I’ll still get a good break and then start training a bit later for the summer.”
Pat Cummins has taken only one wicket in three MLC games but helped the Unicorns finish in the top two, securing a win over MI New York. “The standard is really high,” he said. “For a competition in its second season, it’s well-organized and competitive. I couldn’t speak more highly of it.”
During the T20 World Cup, Cummins watched the US games with interest: “That Pakistan-India game looked amazing. Everyone talks about baseball, basketball, and NFL, but there are thousands of cricketers here who now have a platform.”
The Unicorns aim to bring MLC to California, with plans for a stadium in San Jose. “Hopefully, it will be ready in a few years, and I’ll be coming back to San Fran a lot,” Cummins said. That statement alone shows that cricket has changed for good.
