Former India captain Anil Kumble believes Australia's World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins received an unexpectedly high price of Rs 20.50 crore at the IPL auction for his leadership skills.

Cummins, a fast bowling all-rounder, was snapped by SRH for a whopping Rs 20.50 crore after an intense bidding war followed with Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings at the IPL mini auction ahead of the 2024 season.

"That's a really high price. Rs 20 crores wasn't expected. We knew he'd go for a higher price but Rs 20 crore, it's created a record," Kumble, also a former India coach, told JioCinema.

With the winning bid, Cummins became the highest-ever buy in the history of IPL but he was soon surpassed by compatriot Mitchell Starc, who fetched a new all-time IPL auction record of Rs 24.75 crore.

"SRH is perhaps looking for a captain and that could be the reason why we see the desperation to get in," he said.

"Perhaps RCB were also looking at a long-term captain. Good luck to Pat Cummins. Three trophies, but this would probably take the icing on the cake." England World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan feels Cummins drew the amount for his recent success as a leader with the Australian national team.

"The player that Pat Cummins is and considering the last year-and-a-half that he has had, both with leadership and as a bowler with the World Test Championship winning side, retaining the Ashes in England during the English summer and then leading the Australian ODI team to another ODI World Cup," Morgan said.

"So, recent form and confidence is a huge contributing factor. It's also a demand-supply issue. There are quite a few teams looking for leadership roles to be fulfilled not only as captain but also in the changing room. So Pat Cummins thoroughly justifies his price tag."

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