He has been doing a new role for England since his return.
England batter Tom Banton has been a victim of early success: he made his international debut at 20 and also found an IPL franchise in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), but teams figured him out rather quickly. Consequently, he soon fell off the radar and has played only 28 games for England across formats six years after his maiden appearance.
However, he has breathed new life into his career by reinventing himself as a finisher in the lower order. A key reason for Banton’s success in a fairly new role has been his superior spin-hitting abilities, which have seen encouraging improvements in recent times, and he understands why he has been moved down in the order in the national setup.
“That’s what I think I’ve been moved down for, my playing against spin. I’ve just got to try to stick to what I’ve done to get myself there, and hopefully, it carries on,” Banton told ESPNcricinfo.
Since 2024, Banton has had a strike rate of 163.73 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 4.19 against spinners, and his average of 37.17 suggests he has maintained a precise balance between attack and consistency. While he has started decently in a new role for England, the challenges will follow, given he doesn’t perform the same task for other sides, with 89.39% of his total T20 innings in the top three since last year.
Tom Banton is among those overseas batters adept at playing spin, and now, with newly found consistency, he will be among the big buys in the IPL 2026 auction. Additionally, he can keep wickets, and several teams require a solid wicketkeeper-batter in their squads.
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Franchises like the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will leave Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz ahead of the IPL 2026 retention deadline and look for upgrades in the auction. Furthermore, the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) require backups for Jos Buttler and Ryan Rickelton, respectively, and Banton fits nicely in their plans.
His added flexibility just adds to his already strong credentials. Not many quality options will be available since it’s a mini auction, which should raise Banton’s price, especially since recency bias plays a massive role.
This might be the right time for IPL franchises to utilise his form and make him a long-term investment because he will improve as he gains more exposure. It won’t be surprising if he ends up among the most expensive picks in the upcoming auction, as he continues to take rapid strides forward.
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