Pat Cummins joins San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket

Australian skipper Pat Cummins has been signed by Major League Cricket team San Francisco Unicorns for the upcoming edition of the Major League Cricket season.

Cummins led Australia to the 2023 World Cup title in India last year and recently led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the final of the Indian Premier League last month. He was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the auction of the IPL by bidding him for INR 20.75 crores, making him the second-highest player in the league.

The San Francisco Unicorns took to social media to announce the signing. “The Golden Boy of Australian Cricket is a Unicorn, The current ICC and Wisden Cricketer of the Year will be repping the Bay for #MLC2024,” the franchise said.

The 31-year-old will join compatriots Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk at the franchise. He will form a formidable bowling attack alongside Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Matt Henry of New Zealand.

Cummins, in a media release, said he was happy to join play in Major League Cricket and said the tournament and the sport in general is growing at a fast pace in the US. “I’m very excited to join the Unicorns ahead of the 2024 season. MLC is developing at a rapid rate, and the US market potential is huge for cricket,” the statement read.

San Francisco Unicorns co-owner Anand Rajaraman said his franchise is thrilled to have Pat Cummins in their fold and heaped praises on him as one of the world’s greatest players in the multi-format sport. “Pat Cummins has been one of the world’s great players across all formats for years now and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Unicorns family,” Rajaraman said.

He added that the Australian captain has committed to a long-term contract with the MLC franchise and said the team is confident of reaping rich dividends with him in the fold. “Pat’s commitment to a long-term contract demonstrates his faith in our vision for growing cricket in the Bay Area and more broadly across the US. We’re confident that, both on and off the pitch, he will bring a high calibre of performance that will help us achieve those goals,” Rajaraman added.

The 2024 edition of Major League Cricket will commence on July 5, after the ongoing T20 World Cup that ends on June 29. The San Francisco Unicorns will open their new season of the MLC when they take on the Los Angeles Knight Riders on July 7.