In a historic step for English cricket, The Men’s Hundred recently held its first-ever player auction at London’s iconic Piccadilly Lights, setting the stage for an exciting season. All eight franchises finalized their squads in what turned out to be a lively and competitive event, with intense bidding battles for both homegrown talent and international stars.
The auction spotlighted the growing value of young English players, especially uncapped names who attracted surprisingly high bids. Leading the headlines was all-rounder James Coles, who became the most expensive player of the auction after London Spirit secured him for a whopping £390,000 (around ₹4.81 crore). Not far behind was last season’s standout performer Jordan Cox, snapped up by Welsh Fire for £300,000, reinforcing his reputation as one of England’s most exciting prospects.
Overseas stars also drew strong interest. South Africa’s T20I captain Aiden Markram landed a £200,000 deal with Manchester Super Giants, while experienced finisher David Miller joined Southern Brave for £110,000. England regulars weren’t left behind either, with Adil Rashid earning £250,000 and Joe Root fetching £240,000 from Welsh Fire.
One of the most talked-about moments came when Sunrisers Leeds signed Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for £190,000—marking a rare instance of an Indian-owned franchise investing heavily in a Pakistani player. Meanwhile, Usman Tariq was picked by Birmingham Phoenix, adding further intrigue to a landmark auction that signals a new era for The Hundred.
The Men’s Hundred 2026: Full squads after the auction
Birmingham Phoenix: Jacob Bethell (retained), Rehan Ahmed (direct signing), Mitch Owen (direct signing), Donovan Ferreira (direct signing), Saqib Mahmood, Usman Tariq, Joe Clarke, Will Smeed, Jordan Thompson, Scott Currie, Laurie Evans, Chris Wood, Ethan Brookes, Mustafizur Rahman.
London Spirit: Jamie Overton (retained), Liam Livingstone (direct signing), Adam Zampa (direct signing), Dewald Brevis (direct signing), Jonny Bairstow, David Willey, James Coles, Mason Crane, Adam Milne, Adam Hose, Tymal Mills, James Rew, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Matthew Fisher.
Manchester Super Giants: Jos Buttler (retained), Noor Ahmad (retained), Heinrich Klaasen (retained), Liam Dawson (direct signing), Aiden Markram, Josh Tongue, Sonny Baker, Gus Atkinson, Leus Du Plooy, Tom Hartley, Tim Seifert, Tom Moores, Max Holden, Tawanda Muyeye, George Scrimshaw, Paul Walter.
MI London: Sam Curran (retained), Will Jacks (retained), Rashid Khan (retained), Nicholas Pooran (direct signing), James Vince, Tom Curran, Trent Boult, Nathan Sowter, Sherfane Rutherford, Richard Gleeson, Ollie Pope, Olly Stone, Ollie Sykes, Callum Parkinson, Jason Roy.
Southern Brave: Jofra Archer (retained), Jamie Smith (direct signing), Marcus Stoinis (direct signing), Tristan Stubbs (direct signing), Adil Rashid, David Miller, Luke Wood, Chris Jordan, Ben McKinney, Thomas Rew, Michael Pepper, Tom Abell, Dan Worrall, Caleb Falconer, Nikhil Chaudhary.
Sunrisers Leeds: Harry Brook (retained), Brydon Carse (retained), Mitchell Marsh (direct signing), Nathan Ellis (direct signing), Ryan Rickelton, Zak Crawley, Matthew Potts, Dan Lawrence, Abrar Ahmed, Benjamin Howell, Tom Lawes, Tom Alsop, Liam Patterson-White, Reece Topley, Edward Barnard.
Trent Rockets: Tom Banton (retained), Ben Duckett (direct signing), Tim David (direct signing), Mitchell Santner (direct signing), Finn Allen, David Payne, Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Daniel Mousley, Matt Henry, Sam Billings, Aneurin Donald, Ben Mayes, Danny Briggs, Bradley Currie, Louis Kimber.
Welsh Fire: Chris Woakes (retained), Phil Salt (direct signing), Rachin Ravindra (direct signing), Marco Jansen (direct signing), Joe Root, Jordan Cox, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ben Kellaway, Lockie Ferguson, Asa Tribe, Tom Aspinwall, Matthew Short, Sam Cook, Jafer Chohan.
