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.

Shai Hope

Shai Hope, West Indies’ most consistent batter in 2025, also went unsold in the auction. Hope has been in outstanding form across formats this year. In T20Is, he has amassed 556 runs in 19 matches, registering four half-centuries and a century. His ODI numbers have been even more impressive this year, scoring 678 runs at an average of 55.8 and a strike rate of 98.8, including four fifties and two hundreds.

Despite having previous experience in the cash-rich league, the West Indian could not find any bidders. The main reason being, most of the franchises had already locked in their opening combination through retentions and limited buys at the auction, leading Hope to go unsold.

Maheesh Theekshana

Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana also went unsold at the IPL 2026 auction despite having prior experience and success in Indian conditions. The off-spinner entered the auction with a base price of INR 2 crore but failed to attract any bids. Theekshana last featured for Rajasthan Royals, where he had a decent campaign, picking up 11 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 9.76.

Since making his IPL debut in 2022, Theekshana has played 38 matches in the league and had the best stint with the Chennai Super Kings. He enjoyed a productive run during his time at CSK, bagging 25 wickets across three seasons. However, his poor returns last year for the Royals led to his release, and eventually, none of the teams raised the paddle for him.