Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SRH’s sister franchise) star James Coles is expected to attract big bids at The Hundred 2026 auction on March 12.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Coles said he chose to play in SA20 because it could open opportunities with the IPL and The Hundred later.
“We came to the conclusion of trying to do SA20, just because of the links later down the line with regards to IPL, and now the Hundred. We went down that route, and thankfully, it’s paid off nicely with me doing quite well there,” Coles said.
In the previous season, Coles played for Southern Brave and scored 124 runs in seven matches at an average of 24.80 and also took five wickets. Since then, he has been in very good form. His teammate at Southern Brave, Tymal Mills, expects him to get big bids in The Hundred 2026 auction because he also performed well in leagues like SA20.
“After the SA20, his stock has never been higher… You don’t get too many players that can bat in the top four, be a genuine spin option, and be good in the field at 21. That ticks pretty much all boxes that teams are looking for when they’re building squads. Thursday’s going to be a great day for him,” Mills said.
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In 2025, James Coles played for Sussex in the T20 Blast and scored 397 runs in 14 matches at an average of 33.08 with a strike rate of 158.80, including three half-centuries. He also took 10 wickets.
He played for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20 2025, scoring 152 runs in five innings at an average of 38.00 with a strike rate of 170.78, including a half-century, and took five wickets.
Not to forget his performance in the County Championship Division One 2025, where he scored 1,032 runs at an average of 46.90, including four centuries and four half-centuries. He also took 20 wickets.
With these stats, he could be a top pick at The Hundred 2026 auction. It will be interesting to see which team chooses him, as Sunrisers Leeds, the sister franchise of SRH and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, will also be in the mix.
Recently, he played for the England Lions against Pakistan Shaheens, where he took eight wickets and scored 67 runs in three T20 matches.
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