IPL 2026: 3 overseas players who deserved an IPL contract

The IPL 2026 auction was once again unpredictable, mainly for overseas cricketers. While franchises spent INR 215.45 crore to secure 77 players, several international players were left without contracts despite having strong recent records. Mainly due to the mini-auction format, teams focused on filling specific gaps rather than building squads from scratch, which played a major role in this outcome.

Franchises leaned heavily towards domestic options, valuing local players, lower costs, and squad balance over overseas experience. With limited slots available for foreign recruits, even big names were placed in the unsold category.

Here are 3 Overseas players who deserved an IPL contract

Jamie Smith

England’s star wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith had a shocking setback at the IPL 2026 auction after going unsold despite an immense buildup. The 25-year-old had set his base price at INR 2 crore and was eyeing his maiden IPL contract, but no franchise raised the paddle for him. Smith’s name was called thrice, and during the accelerated rounds, a couple of teams even asked auctioneer Malika Sagar for time to discuss before deciding against a bid.

In T20s, Smith has featured in 97 T20s, scoring 1687 runs at an average of 24.44 and a strike rate of 144.31, including nine fifties. He has also played five T20Is for England, scoring 130 runs at a strike rate of 194.02. Despite the promising record, he was overlooked by the teams.