Glory again for Phil Salt but how did the rest of the England cohort fare at the IPL?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the third franchise to successfully retain their Indian Premier League title after Virat Kohli inspired a five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in Sunday’s final at Ahmedabad.

Kohli led the way with an unbeaten 75 from 42 balls, sealing the trophy with a six, as RCB reached their target of 156 with two overs to spare.

It was a third successive IPL crown for England opener Phil Salt, whilst Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox and Richard Gleeson were also members of Andy Flower’s triumphant squad.

The 19th edition of cricket’s biggest franchise tournament was dominated by the remarkable performances of 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who secured the Orange Cap with 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30 – the six-hitting sensation struck one century and five half-centuries, including three agonising dismissals in the nineties in his last four innings as Rajasthan Royals were beaten in the play-offs.

With a home white-ball series against India on the horizon, the impact of England’s representatives had somewhat mixed results.

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Jos Buttler (Gujarat Titans)

All eyes were on Jos Buttler after a hugely disappointing T20 World Cup campaign.

However, the former England white-ball captain produced yet another solid display at the IPL.

Batting at No.3 in a formidable top order alongside Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill, Buttler amassed 526 runs at an average of 37.57 and strike rate 152.46, with four half-centuries, but his Gujarat Titans side fell just short at the final hurdle.

This was the fourth IPL campaign in which Buttler has surpassed 500 runs in what was a season of consistent starts for the 35-year-old, with eight innings between 25-39 and a high score of 60 against Lucknow Super Giants.

Jos Buttler has rediscovered some form ahead of the international summer
PICTURES: Alamy

Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)

While many questioned the absence of England’s premier fast bowler from the first Test squad of the summer to fulfil his franchise commitment, Jofra Archer enjoyed his most productive IPL season to date with 25 wickets – the third-most in the competition – at an average of 22.36 and an economy rate of 9.31.

An ever-present for the Rajasthan Royals, the 31-year-old proved a consistent threat in the powerplay overs and only went without a wicket on two occasions – coincidentally both league stage meetings with Gujarat Titans.

Archer’s best performance came in a crucial victory over Mumbai Indians in their final game of the league phase to secure a play-off spot, smashing 32 off 15 balls and then claiming impressive figures of 3-17 from four overs but his wait for a first IPL title goes on as the Gujarat Titans openers once again proved too good with a large first-wicket stand.

Jofra Archer has 84 wickets across six IPL seasons

Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)

A hat-trick of IPL trophies is no mean feat, even if Salt was unable to make the same level of contribution at the top of the order than in his previous two seasons.

Salt only featured in the first six games of the competition before a finger injury curtailed his involvement, though the explosive opener had displayed some early encouraging signs, scoring 202 runs at an average of 33.66 and a strike rate of 168.33, including a match-defining 78 from 36 balls against Mumbai Indians.

Bethell was a name on everyone’s lips following his superb century in the T20 World Cup semi-final but it proved to be a frustrating IPL stint with the champions from an individual perspective.

England’s star boy was made to wait for his opportunity as Royal Challengers Bengaluru opted for West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd in their preferred XI but when filling in for the injured Phil Salt, only managed to score 96 runs in seven innings at an average of just 13.71, with a run-a-ball 27 against Mumbai Indians his largest contribution, before similarly suffering an injury to his finger which meant he missed the play-off stage.

Jacob Bethell will be looking to put a disappointing IPL campaign behind him as he prepares for a return to the Test arena
PICTURE: Robbie Stephenson/PA

Will Jacks (Mumbai Indians)

All-rounder Will Jacks only joined up with the Mumbai Indians squad midway through the tournament after being granted time off following a busy winter schedule, chipping in with 139 runs at an average of 27.80 and a very healthy strike rate in excess of 180 – his off-spin was a rarely used commodity with just two wickets in less than nine overs sent down.

Jacks made his top score of 46 in his first game, operating as an opener before being utilised in the middle order, where he produced a match-winning cameo of 25 from 10 balls against Punjab Kings – their fourth and final win of a disappointing campaign for one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Jamie Overton (Chennai Super Kings)

Jamie Overton showcased his worth with both bat and ball for Chennai Super Kings, before having to return home early with a thigh injury,

The hard-hitting all-rounder added 136 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 158.13 with two notable defiant lower order cameos in his first two games, as well as 14 wickets at a commendable average of 17.78 and 8.89 economy rate which included figures of 4-18 against Delhi Capitals and 3-36 in his final game against Lucknow Super Giants.

Liam Livingstone and David Payne (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Liam Livingstone was a significant purchase at the IPL auction when the Sunrisers Hyderabad landed the England all-rounder after an intense bidding war, though he only went on to make two appearances for the Orange Army, scoring 15 runs, and may well find himself looking for a fifth franchise to represent as he looks to rediscover the impact he made with Punjab Kings in 2022.

Experienced left-arm seamer David Payne also featured just twice for SRH as a late replacement, taking two wickets, only for an ankle injury to end his tournament early which has subsequently ruled him out of Gloucestershire’s Vitality Blast campaign.

The watchers-on

Tom Banton, Luke Wood (both Gujarat Titans) and Jordan Cox (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) all failed to make an appearance after being picked up in the auction, with Banton sustaining a finger injury which ruled out any unlikely involvement in the second half of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Rehan Ahmed (Delhi Capitals) and Richard Gleeson (RCB) both also did not play a game after signing as late injury replacements.

Rehan Ahmed was not given the chance to make his IPL debut
PICTURE: Franga Jayawardena/AP

Are England stocks in the IPL on the decline?

On the whole, it has been a largely underwhelming campaign for England players at the IPL and this is perhaps evidence of an emerging trend.

Whilst sixteen players were signed up at various stages in 2026, only eight featured which was two less than a year earlier and ten fewer than were contracted in 2024.

There has been seemingly growing tensions between the IPL and England, with Ben Duckett following in the footsteps of Harry Brook and withdrawing on the eve of the tournament, whilst Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara voiced his disappointment at seeing Sam Curran in action for Surrey in the Vitality Blast after leaving the IPL with what was deemed a ‘season-ending’ groin injury.

England’s indifferent performances on the global stage in recent major white-ball tournaments may have also impacted demand from Indian franchises, whilst players from New Zealand and South Africa have become of greater interest.

The domestic talent pool in India also continues to grow at an extraordinary rate which has perhaps reduced the reliance on overseas imports to a certain degree.

With many English players sat on the sidelines, there has been debate brewing in the local media from players and pundits around the benefit of being within the franchise environment versus playing more regularly at the start of the England domestic season.

Bethell was the subject but Rehan Ahmed is also in the England Test squad and has missed four County Championship rounds for Leicestershire in Division One after receiving a call-up, whilst Essex batter Cox has potentially slipped down the pecking order as the next batter in line across all formats for England having not played a competitive game since February.

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