The Hundred auction: Five young men's players to watch

The Hundred's inaugural player auction will be held in London on 11 and 12 March.

The auction for the men's Hundred takes place on Thursday, with 247 players on the list.

Here are five young domestic talents to watch out for in the auction.

Sussex all-rounder James Coles looks to be an England player in the making.

Across 29 T20 innings since the start of 2025, Coles has averaged 32 with the bat while striking at 156, an exceptional record while batting in the middle order. Coles is a slightly stronger player of spin than pace, averaging 38 against spin while striking at 162, a unique skillset for a local player in the men's Hundred.

Coles is also a more than capable left-arm spinner, taking 28 wickets at 26 with an economy rate of 8.18 since the start of last year.

At this year's Under-19 World Cup, England captain Thomas Rew made a century in the semi-final win over Australia and amassed 330 runs across the campaign, at an average of 66, while striking at 105.

The Somerset man scored about as quickly against spin (108 strike rate) as pace (100), with high averages against both. Rew's strength square of the wicket against spin was his most noticeable skill, helped by his ability to cut and reverse sweep. His glovework is a bonus, too. No keeper was involved in move dismissals at the Under-19 World Cup than Rew's 14.

Despite coming into the auction with just three T20 games to his name, Rew's upside as a future star should ensure plenty of interest.

Sonny Baker made his Hundred debut in 2022 at just 19 years old, featuring in three matches for Southern Brave. However, a mixture of recurring stress fractures and a drop in form limited his appearances until his return for Manchester Originals in last year's competition.

Only Jofra Archer and Riley Meredith registered more deliveries over 87mph than Baker during the 2025 men's Hundred, which helped lead to an one-day international debut against South Africa in Leeds in September.

It's not just raw pace Baker has to offer - with the new ball he's capable of swinging the ball both ways, while at the death he mixes up his length alongside the occasional slower ball to keep batters guessing.

Scott Currie has been exceptional across the last two Hundred campaigns, taking 16 wickets at an average of 22, while conceding 1.45 runs per ball. He impressed for the England Lions this winter, picking up six wickets in their three matches against Pakistan Shaheens in the United Arab Emirates.

Currie's ability to vary his pace to deceive batters is his biggest weapon. His quick deliveries have been clocked above 85mph, while his off-cutters drop to as slow as 70mph.

Currie has taken eight wickets with deliveries under 75mph in The Hundred, coming at an average of just 16, while his economy rate drops to 1.34 runs per ball. Only Sam Curran and David Payne have taken more wickets with slower balls than Currie across the last two Hundreds.

Asa Tribe is yet to make an appearance in The Hundred, but his all-format performances for Glamorgan last summer, coupled with strong outings for England Lions during the winter, should warrant plenty of interest this time around.

Given the possible lack of lower-order domestic batting options, Tribe's average of 38 while striking at 153 as a number six batter is more than healthy compared to his peers. He showcased his ability for quick cameos in the SA20 during the winter, with scores of 51 off 34 and 30* off 16.

Tribe strikes at nearly 200 when hitting down the ground against pace, a strong skillset considering the short straight boundaries that are often in play during Hundred matches.