English players decline IPL 2026 deals as Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue opt out

Some England international cricketers may no longer be interested in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Following Ben Duckett's instance, another English star reportedly ignored the league.

Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, it is reported that Josh Tongue and Jamie Smith had the opportunity to become a part of the upcoming edition of the competition, but they simply showed cold shoulders in response.

Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue turn down IPL replacement opportunities

Telegraph Sport reported that Tongue and Smith have been offered to join the IPL 2026 as replacements, as in the build-up to the season, multiple franchises have been dealing with an injury crisis, but they rejected the proposals.

The exact reasons behind their decision to skip the tournament are unclear, but the England international cricketers might have the most interest in the cash-rich franchise league.

Last year, it was Harry Brook, who was about to play for Delhi Capitals (DC), who was suddenly informed about his unavailability for the contest. DC invested over INR 6 crore to get him on board in the IPL 2025 auction. Brook's pullout pushed the franchise into a slump.

Read More: Shikhar Dhawan expresses grief over Zojila Pass incident ahead of IPL 2026

After that, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced a strict regularisation, so that players can think twice before opting for a surprising exit. "Any player who registers in the auction and after getting picked, makes himself unavailable before the start of the season, will get banned from participating in the tournament and player auction for 2 seasons," BCCI stated in their regulation.

Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, Ben Duckett did the same, a sudden pullout. It is again the Delhi Capitals that are the sufferers. 

Why English players are becoming more selective about IPL stints

But why are some of the English players not interested in the Indian Premier League? The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has a handsome pay scale for its players. According to an Insidesport report, "For starters, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) pays their players handsomely. Knowing they’ll opt for franchise cricket, players under a 1-year contract get INR 1.42 crore, excluding match fee and bonuses. Others can get up to INR 8.73 crore for a 3-year contract."

Apart from the payment, players can be heavily committed to their national team as well. 

As of now, there are a total of 12 players from England, who are set to feature in the IPL 2026 for their respective franchises. 

Fans react as trend of England players skipping IPL grows

The report regarding Jos Tongue and Jamie Smith made the crickets on the social media platform 'X' in splits. While some believe that the ECB might have issued some strict guidelines to their players, others believe that, more players will be attracted by the league in the future. 

"Just wait for 2 more years. After the WC ODI, I will hardly get to play. All players of other countries like England, Australia, and South Africa dump their boards to play in the IPL. All these boards are running because of matches with India," one of the reactions. "It looks like after the ashes review, ECB has strictly warned Josh Tongue, Jamie Smith, and Ben Duckett to choose either to play in IPL or play test cricket for England," another comment reads.