3 teams who should target Jake Fraser-McGurk in IPL 2026 Auction ft. KKR

Australia batter Jake Fraser-McGurk will be on the radar of multiple teams during the IPL 2026 auction. He was released by the Delhi Capitals (DC) after the 2025 season following an underwhelming performance.

Nonetheless, certain teams will be on the lookout for an attacking and aggressive overseas top-order batter. Jake Fraser-McGurk scored just 55 runs in six matches last season. However, he did show promise in his first year in 2024, where he had smashed 330 runs in just nine matches at an average of 36.66 and a whopping strike-rate of 234.04 with four half-centuries.

Overall, Jake Fraser-McGurk has featured in 88 T20s so far. He has scored 1689 runs at an average of 20.34 and a strike-rate of 150.26 with 11 half-centuries.

On that note, let us take a look at three IPL teams that can target the 23-year-old in the 2026 auction.

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#3 Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Punjab Kings (PBKS) could look to buy Jake Fraser-McGurk at the IPL 2026 auction. After the 2025 season, they released Australia wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, who had a solid outing for them. Inglis scored 278 runs from 11 innings at a strike-rate of 162.57.

However, he was released due to his availability issues for the 2026 season. PBKS could therefore look at Fraser-McGurk as a backup. Moreover, he could also bat at number three, which would allow skipper Shreyas Iyer to bat at four and give them more depth.

With Ricky Ponting in the set-up, the young Australia batter would also feel comfortable and confident within the group. While Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have done well as openers, PBKS lack a solid overseas batter in the top-order.

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#2 SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH)

The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have a settled and successful opening pair in Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. Abhishek scored 439 runs last year at a strike-rate of 193.39, while Head made 374 runs at a strike-rate of 162.60.

With Travis Head participating in the five-match-long Ashes 2025 series, and certain to feature for Australia in the T20 World Cup before IPL 2026, there could be the risk of injury. SRH would ideally want to have a solid overseas opener as backup for Head.

Jake Fraser-McGurk, being an aggressive opener, would fit into their setup perfectly well, right in line with their six-hitting mantra and attacking style of batting. He is in the same mould as Abhishek and Head - a fearless top-order batter who can follow their template and get going from the word go.

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#1 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released both their overseas openers, Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. They have a decent Indian batting core in Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, and Rinku Singh.

However, they need an X-factor overseas batter. Having released Andre Russell as well, they will require additional firepower in their batting line-up. Jake Fraser-McGurk could be the aggressive and attacking opener for them alongside Sunil Narine or Ajinkya Rahane.

With good pace and carry on offer at the Eden Gardens in the powerplay overs, Fraser-McGurk can maximise the conditions and get them off to solid starts at the top.