New Zealand pacer Matt Henry could be among the target players in the IPL 2026 auction for teams, as he picked up four wickets in the third ODI of the series against West Indies at Seddon Park, Hamilton.
In the match, Matt Henry, who opens the bowling with the new ball, picked up two wickets of Ackeem Auguste and Keacy Carty in the same over. His other two wickets were Roston Chase and Jayden Seales, as West Indies were dismissed for just 161. Henry ended the innings with a four-fer, bowling 9.2 overs for 43 runs. This is his 13th four-wicket haul in ODI cricket.
In the year 2025, he has played 13 ODIs and taken 31 wickets so far at an average of 18.58, with the best figures of 5/42, which came against India in the Champions Trophy. Henry, whenever he bowls consistent lines and lengths, is very difficult for the batters to score runs easily against him.
In the T20Is this year, he has taken 14 wickets in 11 matches. Given the fact that he is expected to be available in the IPL 2026 auction, he will be among the players who teams will be interested to bid for, as there will be many franchises that will be in need of overseas pacers in their squad.
Teams that could be targeting Matt Henry are the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Gujarat Titans (GT), and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Kolkata Knight Riders will likely be at the top of the list when it comes to targeting Matt Henry because, after the retentions, they do not have any overseas pacer in their squad. They have released Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson. KKR have also appointed Tim Southee as their new bowling coach, so they are expected to look at some Kiwi pacers in the IPL 2026 auction, and Matt Henry could be one of them.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after releasing Lungi Ngidi, need an overseas pacer who can also be a backup for Josh Hazlewood. They have Nuwan Thushara in the squad, but the experience of Matt Henry might work well for them in the lineup.
Gujarat Titans have released Gerald Coetzee on the retention deadline day. Now they are left with Kagiso Rabada as the lone overseas pacer in the squad. With Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh as the two Indian pacers, they might look for a backup for Rabada. For that, Matt Henry can be an option they might target.
Chennai Super Kings, on the retention deadline day, released one of their premier pacers, Matheesha Pathirana. They have retained Nathan Ellis as their overseas pacer along with Jamie Overton, the fast bowling all-rounder. Other than that, they do not have much experience in the squad for now. So maybe there could be an option for Matt Henry to be among the bowlers in their target list.
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