The Hundred 2026: Big paydays as squads confirmed after first-ever auction

by Devesh Jaganath

image The Hundred 2026: Big paydays as squads confirmed after first-ever auction
Domestic T20 leagues have grown massively in recent years, and The Hundred is no exception, with 2026 bringing us the first official player auction for the tournament. The auction was held last week, with Harry Brook bagging the biggest payday, snapped up by Sunrisers Leeds for a staggering £465,000.

Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed headlines inaugural Hundred auction

 While the focus of the cricketing world is firmly on the 2026 Indian Premier League, which gets underway next week, England’s domestic T20 League, The Hundred, is shaping up to be the best one we have ever seen, and we will be covering every match in our cricket predictions​​​​​​.

In 2026, the first-ever player auction for The Hundred was held last week, with the biggest development of the day being the signing of Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed, who was bought by the Sunrisers Leeds for a spectacular sum of £190,000. 

Ever since IPL team owners bought stakes in the Hundred, the inclusion of the Shaheens’ players in the tournament was under threat, with most expecting franchises to steer clear of them owing to the long-standing political tensions between India and Pakistan. 

However, given Abrar’s inclusion, it seems that the love of cricket has prevailed, and he is not the only Pakistani player set to feature in the tournament, as his compatriot Usman Tariq was signed by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000. 

Among the overseas stars, South Africa’s David Miller became the first international player to be sold, joining the Southern Brave for £110,000. The Proteas’ skipper Aiden Markram was later snapped up by Manchester Originals for £200,000, and by the end of the auction, a total of 10 South African players were handed contracts. 

 

Confirmed squads for The Hundred 2026 edition

Birmingham Phoenix: Jacob Bethell, Rehan Ahmed, Mitch Owen, Donovan Ferreira, Saqib Mahmood, Usman Tariq, Joe Clarke, Will Smeed, Jordan Thompson, Scott Currie, Laurie Evans, Chris Wood, Ethan Brookes, Mustafizur Rahman.

London Spirit: Jamie Overton, Liam Livingstone, Adam Zampa, Dewald Brevis, 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, Noor Ahmad, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Dawson, 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, Will Jacks, Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran, 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, Jamie Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Tristan Stubbs, 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, Brydon Carse, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan Ellis, 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, Ben Duckett, Tim David, Mitchell Santner, 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, Phil Salt, Rachin Ravindra, Marco Jansen, Joe Root, Jordan Cox, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ben Kellaway, Lockie Ferguson, Asa Tribe, Tom Aspinwall, Matthew Short, Sam Cook, Jafer Chohan.