Jordan Cox And…? THESE Next-Gen England Stars Could Get Picked At IPL 2026 Auction

The 2025 edition of The Hundred is up and running, and just a couple of weeks into the tournament, we’ve had plenty of young English stars make absolute statements. 

Now, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is no stranger to snapping up young English talents. RCB picked up Will Jacks ahead of IPL 2023, and they once again gambled on Jacob Bethell at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Five years back, KKR went all-out and secured a very young Tom Banton when he was still pretty raw. 

We look at some of the next-gen English stars who will unquestionably be on teams’ radar heading into IPL 2026.

Jordan Cox

This is truly the perfect time to talk about Jordan Cox, who is in red-hot form at the moment. It was only hours ago that he played the most explosive knock in The Hundred history, pummeling 86* off just 29 balls, hammering an insane 10 sixes in his stay. That came on the back of a 44 against Birmingham Phoenix, and if you put it all together, he’s scored 670 runs in T20 cricket this year at a remarkable strike rate of 151.9, with every single run coming as a non-opener.

Middle-order bashers are gold dust in a competition like the IPL, and Cox is 24, nearing his peak. What’s more, he can also keep wickets and can be impactful anywhere in the top six. 

DC, GT and CSK are among teams who need powerful middle-order batters. Don’t be surprised if they go for him come the IPL 2026 auction. 

Sonny Baker

Arguably the most exciting young fast bowler in English cricket right now. All off 22 years old, Sonny Baker has made heads turn in the 2025 Hundred so far, with his raw pace. He’s dominated some elite batters like Warner, Williamson, Smith and Bairstow, and most batters in the competition have found his pace and late movement really hard to deal with.

It’s no surprise that Baker has earned his maiden England call-up already, having just played 18 T20s. 

Baker is by no means a finished product, but he is just the kind of talent that’s worth splurging on. Teams like MI, KKR and LSG will be on high alert, no doubt. 

Rehan Ahmed 

A generational talent like Rehan Ahmed was always going to break through at some point, and 2025 has been the year he’s shot to a different level across formats. Rehan, still only 21, has been in the headlines for his incredible batting in the County Championship, where he’s smoked 5 hundreds, but he’s been exceptional in T20s too.

In 2025, the leg-spinner has taken 12 wickets at an economy of 8.8, but the catch is that he has also scored 419 runs at an average of 32 and a strike rate of nearly 135. He’s currently batting at No.3 for Trent Rockets in The Hundred and has been doing a fine job. 

Now, the 21-year-old might not bat at No.3 for an IPL side, but he’d be such an asset being a leggie who can bat. He’d be a perfect fit for a team like SRH.