There are several players who have been performing well in their countries' domestic and international structure. There has been plenty of discussion certain names in the cricket fraternity around them to feature in the Indian Premier League. There will a mini auction which will precede IPL 2026.
Scouts from the franchises are also expected to be on the lookout for fresh talent. Each team would aim on reinforcing their squad with some quality players. Year after year, the spotlight has been on players who
possess a match-winning ability. Below, we take a look at five players fans are keen to see go under the hammer.
5 players fans want to see in IPL 2026 auction
5. Ben Stokes
There is no doubt on immense prowess Ben Stokes brings to the table. He has repeatedly demonstrated his cricketing abilities on the field: be it with bat, ball or on the field. Stokes last played in the IPL in 2023, when he played just two games for Chennai Super Kings before picking a toe injury.
Stoke decided to skip IPL 2024 to manage his workload and fitness. He was due to have his knee operated prior to IPL 2024, ahead of England's five-match Test series against India. Coming to IPL 2025, Stokes revealed that he did not enter the mega auction to prolong the twilight of his international career. However, he remains a fan favourite for multiple reasons and will certainly attract massive bids should he decide to participate in the coming season.
4. Lhuan-dre Pretorius
The top-scorer of the U-19 World Cup 2024, Lhuan-dre Pretorius was named as Nitish Rana's replacement after he was ruled out of IPL 2025 due to a calf injury. Pretorius featured in only one match in IPL 2025 and did not bat in that particular fixture. RR endured a dismal season as they finished ninth on the table.
RR's top-order batter is already stacked with Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Rana, and there might be a possibility of Pretorius not being retained by the franchise. The aggressive southpaw will surely be a player to watch out for if at all he lands up in the auction.
3. Jamie Smith
Jamie Smith is a promising wicketkeeper-batter from England who is yet to play the IPL. Despite being in his formative phase of his international career, he has made a name for himself as an all-format player. Jamie made his ODI, Test and T20I debut in 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively, and has also displayed how tidy a wicketkeeper he can be on multiple instances.
He has a plethora of experience when it comes to 20-over cricket. Till now, he has played in the T20 Blast, Men's Hundred and the ILT20. Speaking of his T20 record, Jamie possesses a strike rate of 144.31 in 97 matches with 1687 runs under his belt. He has drawn plenty of attention for the right reasons and the franchises could show some interest in the Englishman come IPL 2026 mini-auction.
2. Mitchell Owen
Like Jamie, Mitchell Owen has not played a single IPL season. He burst onto the scene in the Big Bash League with some brutal knocks in his fifth BBL stint with Hobart Hurricanes. Owen struck at a colossal 203.60 in his 2024-25 BBL. There is a certain ease with which he powers the ball over the ropes and is often described as an intimidating sight at the crease.
Owen earned a much-deserved call-up for the national setup a few months post his successful BBL season. Owen has struck more sixes (12) than fours (5) in the nine T20Is he has played. He is also a handy medium pacer who can chip in with a few overs during the middle phase, making him a valuable option in the T20 circuit. Owen has impressed in Major League Cricket and the Pakistan Super League as well.
1. Mark Wood
Mark Wood's IPL journey has been rather fragmented. Having worked hard to regain his place in England's Test side, Wood opted for national duty and left the IPL after playing only one game for CSK in 2018. Wood's second assignment in the IPL came with LSG in 2023. He made a whopping start to the season, starring with a five-wicket outing to grant his side a 50-run win.
However, he missed the second-half of the season due to the birth of his second child. Wood last played competitive cricket during the 2025 Champions Trophy. The right-arm quick will be missing the entire home summer as England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have taken the precautionary measure to keep him fully fit for the 2025-26 Ashes Down Under. Despite being injury prone, Wood's express pace makes him a valuable asset for any team he plays.
