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Former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has likened wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith to greats like MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist. Panesar expects Smith to be England’s most expensive player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction ahead of Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow and Gus Atkinson.
“Jamie Smith will definitely be picked because on Indian surfaces he can really smash the ball out of the ground. He’s got a bit of Dhoni-ness about him and is a very exciting talent — also a bit like Adam Gilchrist, I think — so I expect him to be picked up too,” Panesar told India Today in an exclusive conversation.
Smith has registered at the base price of Rs 2 crore. Interestingly, in the mock auction hosted by JioStar, Gujarat Titans (GT) represented by Cheteshwar Pujara picked him for his base price without a bidding war. Pujara feels he can be a backup for Jos Buttler or bat in the middle order as well like he has been used by England.
Jamie Smith’s T20I record
So far, the 25-year-old has played just five T20Is and scored 130 runs at an average of 26 and strike rate of 194.02. He scored a half-century against West Indies in June 2025.
Jamie Smith’s overall T20 numbers
In T20s overall, he has scored 1,687 runs from 82 innings, averaging 24.44 and scoring at a strike rate of 144.31. He is yet to score a century but has nine T20 fifties to his name. Apart from England's The Hundred and T20 Blast, he has represented Gulf Giants in ILT20.
Panesar rates spin-bowling all-rounder highly
Panesar has rated 21-year-old Rehan Ahmed highly. The youngster bowls leg-spin and can bat higher up the order as well. The 43-year-old also backs Atkinson and Ben Duckett to find a franchise.
“I think Rehan Ahmed has had a fantastic county season. He’s averaging around 15 and has picked up about 20 wickets at a very good average as well, so I believe he’ll get picked. Gus Atkinson is another one — a good all-rounder who contributes with both bat and ball — and I feel he’ll be picked as well. Ben Duckett is also a useful cricketer with an unorthodox style of play, and I think he’s another player who will probably be picked,” Panesar said.
Atkinson was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) but was ruled out due to injury.
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