England wicket-keeping sensation Jamie Smith is one of the most exciting talents in world cricket currently. Earlier today during the ongoing ENG vs IND 2nd Test, the 24-year-old youngster gave another testament to his sheer batting skills as he slammed the joint third-fastest century by an English batter, reaching the three-digit score in just 80 balls.
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
63/2
–
–
–
–
53/5
166/7
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Jamie Smith has evolved into a key cog in the England setup in a short time-frame and his recent exploits will definitely put him on the radar of franchises for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) auction.
Let’s take a look at three IPL teams who might be in pursuit of the England sensation.
[**Note- According to the latest IPL rules, overseas players who did not take part in mega-auction are not allowed to feature in the following mini-auction. However, since Jamie Smith has never registered himself in IPL before, it is understood that he will not fall into the above mentioned clause]
The three-time IPL winners are one of the teams who are on the lookout for an opening overseas wicketkeeper option after Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz failed to deliver last season. KKR is expected to release both the players ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, which would allow them to pursue Smith full throttle.
ALSO READ:
CSK are another team who are on the lookout for a wicketkeeping option as a cover for MS Dhoni. They have Devon Conway and Urvil Patel but the Kiwi is expected to be released. Furthermore, Dhoni’s availability for next season is still unknown with rumours of a possible trade for Sanju Samson currently afloat. However, in case the RR captain decides to stay with the Royals, Jamie Smith could be a great replacement option.
Delhi Capitals could be another possible destination for Jamie Smith. DC’s top order was a big issue in IPL 2025 as Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk failed to click.
DC also tried out the most number of opening combinations in the tournament (7) in a bid to find balance. Thus, the Capitals would be willing to go after a solid batter at the top who can bat fearlessly and put runs on the board. Smith would also add another wicketkeeping option alongside Abishek Porel and KL Rahul.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.