West Indies wicketkeeper-batter and white-ball skipper Shai Hope is one name who will be a hot commodity in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) auction, later this year on December 16.
While players with his specific skillset is a top demand for IPL 2026 auction, Hope’s recent form will only drive up his stocks to make a him a sought-after prospect when the hammer goes up. The 32-year-old’s latest heroics came during the NZ vs WI 2nd ODI today (November 19) where he gave a sheer testament to his fiery batting abilities.
The dynamic right-hander, who has looked in tremendous form this year, registered a record-breaking century with a quickfire 69-ball 109, smashing a stellar 13 boundaries and four maximums. In the process, he became the first player ever to score an international century against every current full member team (AUS, ENG, SA, IND, PAK, NZ, SL, ZIM, AFG, BAN, IRE).
Speaking about his 2025 numbers, Shai Hope is the fourth-highest run-scorer in ODIs this year so far with 654 runs in 14 innings at an impressive average of 59.45, including four fifties and two centuries. In the shortest format as well, Hope has delivered the goods with 407 runs in 19 T20Is, averaging over 30s with a low dot-ball percentage of 35.9%.
Apart from his international exploits, Shai Hope has performed in franchise T20 leagues too, finishing as the top-scorer in ILT20 2025 and the CPL 2025.
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A top-order wicketkeeper-batter who can hit the big shots is a demand going into the IPL 2026 auction and Shai Hope fits the bill perfectly. Teams like Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are few franchises who will definitely have the Caribbean cricketer on their radars.
KKR recently let go off all their wicketkeepers in their squad – Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Luvnith Sisodia on the retention deadline day on Novemebr 15 and will hence target Shai Hope as a top prospect.
DC, on the other hand, had issues in their top order last season, as Jake Fraser-McGurk and Faf du Plessis struggled. Shai Hope could fill that gap, and since he already made his IPL debut with DC and plays for their sister franchise Dubai Captails, it only seems like a natural progression.
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