IPL 2023 is a wrap. It was considered by many experts to be the best IPL in the history of the tournament. The upcoming Cricket World Cup 2023 has led T20 cricket to take a backseat. However, planning for the next IPL season never stops.Many IPL teams would require some recruits to iron out their existing loopholes. What better country to look for some international talent than the kings of white ball cricket, ENGLAND! The defending champions hold both the international white ball World Cups. Their domestic T20 leagues Vitality T20 Blast and the Hundred, are producing great talents as well. English cricketers also play a lot of T20 leagues around the world. This makes them a prime entity for IPL franchises to hunt for new talent. The following are the top 10 English cricketers that can be purchased at IPL 2024 Auction.
1. Henry Brookes
The 6'3" tall youngster took the English T20 cricket by storm after taking an impressive five-wicket haul at the Hundred in 2022. He has an impressive T20 record of 46 wickets in 37 matches with a healthy average of 25. Brookes is well-known for his slower deliveries. He was picked by MI Capetown in South Africa's SA T20 League. Mumbai Indians are known for picking their players and sticking with them. MI also back young players, and Brookes being only 23, has a strong chance of being picked.
2. Rehan Ahmed
England is not known for their spinners. However, when the legendary Shane Warne spotted a 12-year-old Rehan as a net bowler for England, he was highly impressed. Ahmed was selected for the U-19 World Cup in 2022. He bowled some outstanding spells to take England to the final. Ahmed, at the age of 18, had impressed the selectors enough. He became the youngest player to represent England in Test cricket as he made his debut against Pakistan in December 2022. He took an impressive five-wicket haul to solidify himself as a prospect. He can bat a bit as well. Therefore, Ahmed provides an all-around package for teams in the IPL to bid for him.
3. Will Smeed
Imagine a 21-year-old cricketer announcing to give up red-ball cricket so he can solely focus on white-ball cricket. That's Will Smeed for you. Smeed became the first batsman to score a century in the Hundred. He has a lot of experience playing in Asian conditions as he also participated in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and ILT20 of UAE. He has a phenomenal T20 strike rate of 148.31. Young and an attacking opening batsman, the perfect recipe for an IPL contract.
4. Sam Cook
Sam Cook has been on the radar for quite a while now. There are not a lot of bowlers that can swing the new ball and hit Yorkers with the old ball. Cook, however, can do both. He has an impressive T20 record of 55 wickets in only 49 matches with an amazing average of 23.63. Cook is only 25 years of age and can be a prospect to watch out for at the IPL 2024 auctions.
5. Jordan Thompson
Jordan Thompson is another workhorse of England cricket who has been playing in T20 leagues all over the league. The 26-year-old has performed extremely well in leagues in England. He has also done well for the MI Emirates team in the ILT20. He has an impressive T20 record of 75 wickets in 70 matches at an average of 25.34. He was the leading wicket-taker in the Hundred 2022. He is also a handy batsman.
6. Luke Wood
The talented left-arm pacer has expanded his horizon from England to the Big Bash in Australia to even the Bangladesh Premier League. Wood's hard work paid off when he made his T20 debit against Pakistan in September 2022 and his ODI debut against Australia in November 2022. He has an impressive T20 record of 74 wickets in 82 matches at an average of 27.08. The IPL stakeholders are always in search of left-handers.
7. Jordan Cox
The IPL team management does love a multi-dimensional cricketer. Jordan Cox happens to be one. The young 22-year-old is an explosive batsman and a phenomenal keeper. He also has a plethora of franchise cricket experience with the Big Bash League, Srilanka Premier League, and the champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Coz has been a player to watch out for in every format. He can be a perfect pick for even Sunrisers Hyderabad who finished last in the IPL 2023.
8. Tom Kohler-cadmore
It is difficult for a pure batsman to get into IPL unless he's extremely special, and Tom Kohler-cadmore happens to be one. The explosive top-order batsman has done more than enough to raise eyebrows in the cricketing community. Kohler-Cadmore has also played in the PSL and Bangladesh Premier League. He is vastly experienced with 153 T20 matches with a healthy strike rate of 141. TKC can be a solid option for any IPL team.
9. Tom Curran
While his younger brother Sam became the most expensive purchase in the history of the IPL last year, Tom Curran was recuperating from an injury. Tom Curran has a wealth of experience even at the age of 28. He has played for three IPL teams. He was also part of the World Cup-winning England teams of 2019 and 2022. Curran had a productive ILT20 where he was the fifth-highest wicket-taker. He has also played a lot in foreign leagues like the Big Bash, PSL, BPL, ILT20, T10 league, and the local South Africa League.
10. Chris Woakes
There might be many young and upcoming cricketers with immense potential. However, experience is something that only comes with time. Chris Woakes can be a very useful cricketer for multiple franchises. Woakes is a three-format player and has an exceptional record in all of them. Woakes has a fair bit of IPL experience. He was an integral part of the Delhi team in 2021. However, Delhi had to keep him out since they had Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje back then. Woakes was also an integral part of both England's 2019 CWC and 2022 T20 WC teams. Woakes is a handy batsman as well. Many teams, especially Mumbai Indians, can bid for him. Even his old team Delhi Capitals can pick him to solve their bowling woes.
