The right-hand batter scored a duck in his only IPL 2025 outing.
A rising sensation from Australia, Mitchell Owen has asserted that he will not change his batting approach, as the all-rounder is all set to make his ODI debut later this month. Owen, who made his T20I debut against the West Indies, has been named in the squad for the ODI series against South Africa, starting on August 19. In the process, he’s cementing his name for IPL 2026 retention in the Punjab Kings squad.
The right-hand batter emerged as the leading run-getter of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2024-25. He racked up 452 runs in 11 matches for eventual champions, Hobart Hurricanes, at an average of 45.20 while striking at 203.60. He earned praises and attracted the selectors with a stunning hundred in the final. But all his runs came as an opener. The all-rounder also picked up three wickets in three innings at an economy of 8.77.
The Australian earned his maiden Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 and later the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after a seven-day hiatus. Owen scored 105 runs in eight matches at the PSL and a two-ball duck in the IPL. But then he rocked the stage at Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025, smashing 313 runs in 11 innings, striking at 194.40.
Owen had an exceptional debut T20I series against the West Indies, batting at No.6 across the series. He amassed 125 runs in four innings at an average of 41.66 and a strike rate of 192.30, including a fifty. The 23-year-old has also been included in the ODI series, followed by a three-match T20I series against the same opponents.
This might also lead to his IPL 2026 retention from the Punjab Kings (PBKS). Some reports suggested PBKS are opting to release Marcus Stoinis to retain Owen. Notably, Owen was playing for Washington Freedom in MLC 2025, where Ricky Ponting was the head coach.
The 23-year-old revealed he will continue to bat similarly in the ODIs when he gets a chance to play.
“If I am opening the batting or if I’m batting down the order, not much will change. On the different wickets, sometimes you don’t know what you’re going to get, but I think going to the subcontinent for Pakistan and India held me in good stead for some of the wickets in the MLC and some of the wickets in the West Indies. It’s all just experience and knowledge that I’ve been able to sort of bank,” Owen said in Hobart on Monday
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Australia began to find a combination in the buildup for the ODI World Cup in 2027 after the retirements of Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell following the Champions Trophy 2025. Mitchell Owen could be a great replacement for Marcus Stoinis, who recently retired from ODI cricket.
Maxwell and Stoinis’ departure has led Cricket Australia to rejig their finishers. Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Inglis are likely to retain their middle-order roles. Stand-in skipper Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are likely to open. Cameron Green is likely to play at No.4 after his brilliance in the Windies series. Hence, despite his BBL success as an opener, Owen will have to bat in the middle order and possibly face the death overs.
Owen has featured in only 17 List A matches for Tasmania, where he batted at No.7 in the first 10 matches. His best score in those knocks was just 16. Notably, Tasmania had the same coaching staff as the Hobart Hurricanes, who asked him to open in the Dean Jones Trophy last year. Their decision paid off as Owen played a couple of match-winning knocks. He played brisk innings of 19-ball 48 and 69-ball 149 against eventual finalists Victoria and South Australia.
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