Rehan Ahmed joins Birmingham Phoenix

Rehan Ahmed has joined Birmingham Phoenix as their first direct signing for the 2026 season of the Hundred.

Rehan, the 21-year-old English allrounder, moves from 2025 runners-up Trent Rockets, having claimed 12 wickets and scored more than 180 runs in that edition of the tournament.

His leg-spin variations and fearless batting approach have made an impact across formats, also helping Leicestershire to the County Championship Division Two title with 23 wickets at 19 and averaging 50.67 with the bat, including five centuries.

Next year's Hundred marks a new era under private ownership and Rehan is the first player signed by Phoenix performance director James Thomas and new men's head coach Shane Bond ahead of the season. Teams are allowed to direct sign or retain up to four players ahead of the auction, due to take place in March, and Rehan is the initial signing of that window.

"The vision and strategy set out by James and Bondy was something that I really wanted to be a part of so I'm happy to have signed for the Birmingham Phoenix," Rehan said. "It's an ambitious franchise with big plans and Edgbaston is obviously an amazing place to play cricket, so I'm really looking forward to getting started next year and hopefully being part of a squad which will challenge for silverware in The Hundred."

Thomas said Rehan was "one of the players we identified very early on as somebody who aligns perfectly with our strategy".

"He is one of the most highly rated players in the country and has the ability to make a huge impact with both bat and ball," Thomas added. "Although he is still in the early stages of his career, there is no doubt about his ability and we are confident he will be a key player for the Birmingham Phoenix next season."

Last month, Rehan returned home early from the England Lions' tour of Australia with a leg muscle strain suffered while playing against England in a warm-up for the first Ashes Test in Perth. He has since returned to Australia to play for Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL, conceding five runs off a solitary wicketless over and scoring 2 off 5 in their opening match, a four-wicket win against Sydney Thunder.

Before his injury, it had been speculated that Rehan, who missed out on selection as the second spinner in the main Ashes squad to Will Jacks, could stay on with England after the Lions programme concluded. Jacks, meanwhile, has gone on to earn a call-up for the second and third Tests, the latter game currently underway in Adelaide. Rehan has played five Tests among his 23 appearances for England to date.