Gloucestershire 2026 County Championship Full Season Preview
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- 4 min read
by Ronan Alexander & The Cricket Draft
With the cricket season fast approaching, now is the time to ensure you and your club are covered! Don’t risk the season with under insurance & outdated valuations; contact ASI, the specialist sports broker and PCA partner, to get your club or your own policy sorted before the first ball is bowled.
County Championship Values for 2026
Banker/Wildcard/Young Gun/England Pick
Banker: Cameron Bancroft (BAT) £7.8m After a solid 10-match stint last year, Bancroft is back for the full summer in a Gloucestershire shirt. He scored 796 runs last year, averaging 46.82 at the top of the order while making five 50s and two centuries in the process. He will look to set the platform for his team, and his availability all year makes him a reliable choice with consistent returns.
Wildcard: Gabe Bell (BWL) £7.3m A 30-year-old Australian seamer coming over for his first taste of county cricket. He has been impressive in the Sheffield Shield, so he will come into the season in good form and looking to make an impression. With Gloucestershire fielding what is essentially a brand-new seam attack, Bell will be the leader of the pack as he looks to make his mark at his new club.
Young Gun: Aman Rao (BWL) £4.0m With less depth in the seam department, 21-year-old Aman Rao may get his opportunity in red-ball cricket this year. While he has played twice in the Vitality Blast, he is yet to make his County Championship debut. However, he was the leading wicket-taker for Gloucestershire in the Second XI Championship last summer, grabbing 14 wickets in five matches at an average of 23.64, with a best of 5/44.
England Watch: James Bracey (WKT) £7.5m Having last played Test cricket in 2021, Bracey isn’t currently on England’s radar, but his performances for Gloucestershire remain vital to their success. He has stayed consistent since his Test recognition, scoring over 1,000 runs last summer. He was Gloucestershire’s leading points scorer in the Cricket Draft and the third most popular wicketkeeper in the game, featuring in 24.9% of squads.
Potential Starting XI for GW 1
Potential Starting XI for GW 1
2025 Review
Mark Alleyne’s side endured a difficult year of red-ball cricket, managing only two wins and finishing sixth in Division Two. The top order performed well: James Bracey led the scoring with 1,010 runs, while Miles Hammond (927), Ben Charlesworth (914), and Oliver Price (890) followed closely behind. Ajeet Singh Dale topped the bowling charts with 40 wickets, and Graeme van Buuren collected 25. However, the seam attack has been largely dismantled ahead of the new season; the primary survivor, Matt Taylor, took 18 wickets in his eight appearances last year. As both of their victories occurred on home turf, rectifying a winless record on the road will be a priority for the upcoming campaign.
2025 Stat Attack
James Bracey: Recorded the third-most runs for a wicketkeeper and was one of only three to surpass the 1,000-run mark. He led the competition in stumpings with five, two more than his closest rival, Phil Salt and his 43 catches were the joint-fourth highest in the league.
Graeme van Buuren: Ranked 10th for total points among all-rounders valued at £7.0m or less. He also secured the 10th-most runs for players within that same position and valuation bracket.
Ben Charlesworth: Provided a strong budget option at a valuation of £5.5m, featuring in every match. He scored the most runs of any batter valued at £6.0m or less.
Joe Phillips: Accumulated 533 runs across seven appearances, the third-highest total for batters valued at £5.0m or less.
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Player Ins & Outs
Gloucestershire have had to almost fully revamp their seam attack over the off-season due to the number of departures they’ve suffered from. Leading wicket taker from last year Ajeet Singh Dale who grabbed 40 wickets has made the move North to Lancashire. Zaman Akhter who had the second most wickets for a seamer (24) and third overall has also left the club as he joins Essex. Fellow seamer Josh Shaw has signed for Somerset whilst key player Tom Price has went to Sussex alongside fellow right-arm seamer Dominic Goodman. That becomes six seam departures following Archie Bailey signing for Durham. They have done well to make up for these six departures with Gabe Bell coming in as overseas. He is currently the third top wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield with 28 wickets at an average of 27.39. Will Williams also joins from Lancashire with Craig Miles making the move from Warwickshire. Cameron Bancroft returns as overseas and will be available for all three formats. D’Arcy Short will play in the Blast with Liam Scott replacing Bell for later in the season. Dawid Malan also comes in from Yorkshire on a white ball contract.
2026 Fixtures
Gloucestershire face a challenging start to the campaign, beginning with a trip to Lord’s in GW1 before hosting Durham and Lancashire, two of the favourites for promotion. After a subsequent visit to Derbyshire and a break in GW5, they return for two home fixtures against Kent and Northants, two games they will be seriously targeting. A demanding middle period follows, with three of their next four matches on the road against Northants, Worcestershire, and Durham. Finally, September sees the side close out the season with home games against Derbyshire and Middlesex, alongside trips to Lancashire and a final-day clash at Kent.
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