Why is Jamie Smith not allowed to participate in IPL 2026 Mini-Auction?

Prior to start of the Anderson-Tendulkar 2025 series, players like Shubman Gill, Joe Root, and Ben Duckett were expected to make an impact with the bat. While these players have stood up for the team on various occasions, one batter who has grabbed a lot of eyeballs with his aggressive and consistent batting display has been England’s wicket-keeper Jamie Smith.

Batting at number seven, he has ensured he carries England to big scores after the top order and middle-order had set the foundation, and has also saved England from getting bundled out on low scores. In the first Test match, Smith scored a valiant 40-run knock in the first innings and then was involved in a match-winning 71-run unbeaten partnership with Root to help England chase down a 371-run target. 

In the second Test match, England had lost five wickets for just 84 on the board. Jamie Smith then joined hands with Harry Brook and produced an exceptional display of counter-attacking. Indian bowlers had no answer to the intent shown by the England wicket-keeper. He went on to score an unbeaten knock of 184 runs off 207 balls as England made 407. 

England set a target of 608 in that Test match. While other batters couldn’t make a substantial contribution, Jamie Smith, once again, showed his class by playing a solid 88-run knock off just 99 balls. In a short Test career so far, Jamie Smith has everyone talking about him, thanks to his approach mixed with aggression and caution. In 12 Tests, he has scored 997 runs at a serious average of 58. He has two centuries and three half-centuries to his name so far. 

He has played just five T20 internationals so far, but his strike rate of 194 attracts attention. 

Can Jamie Smith participate in IPL 2026? 

Having shown his class at the big stage, naturally, a lot of franchises in the IPL have their eyes on him. However, the England wicket-keeper is not eligible to participate in the upcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction. Before the IPL 2025 Mega Auction was conducted, the IPL Governing Council had categorically stated under their new eligibility rules for overseas players that the players who didn’t register for the mega-auction wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the mini-auction during the same cycle. 

Notably, Jamie Smith didn’t register his name in the IPL 2025 Mega-Auction, which means that he is not allowed to participate in any mini-auction during this cycle. Jamie Smith will only be eligible to participate in the next mega-auction in 2028.