Cricket Ireland has officially confirmed central contracts for 48 players — 25 men and 23 women — for the 2026–27 season. The announcement was made on 24 March 2026.
Players are signed under four different contract types: full-time, retainer, education, and casual. Full-time deals are the most complete, while education contracts allow younger women players to balance studies alongside professional cricket.
The timing is significant, with Ireland’s men set to play all three formats this summer and the women preparing for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales.
How the Men’s Contracts Break Down
Of the 25 men’s contracts, 20 are full-time deals, and five are retainer contracts. Seven players are appearing on the central contracts list for the first time. Five of those newcomers — Ben Calitz, Jordan Neill, Tom Mayes, Tim Tector, and Cade Carmichael — made their senior international debuts during the 2025 season.
The remaining two first-time recipients, Reuben Wilson and Matthew Hollard, earned their spots through domestic performances. Wilson was also recognised for his contributions to the Ireland Under-19 squad during the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 cycle. Five players who held contracts in the previous cycle were not retained.
Andrew Balbirnie continues as Test captain, while Paul Stirling steps down from the ODI captaincy.
Full Ireland Men’s Central Contract List 2026–27
Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie (Test captain), Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Cade Carmichael, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Gavin Hoey, Matthew Hollard, Matthew Humphreys, Joshua Little, Tom Mayes, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Liam McCarthy, Jordan Neill, Paul Stirling (ODI captain), Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Reuben Wilson, Craig Young.
Women’s Contracts: Education Players Moving Full-Time
The Ireland Women’s squad sees 23 contracts agreed: eight full-time, 10 on education contracts, and five on casual terms. No new players have been added to the women’s list. Sophie MacMahon, who has retired from international cricket, and Freya Sargent, who stepped away from the international setup, are no longer included.
Six players on education contracts will transition to full-time deals during the season. Two will make the switch immediately, while four have chosen to defer academic commitments and go full-time ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales in 2026, Ireland’s first appearance at that tournament since 2023. Ireland qualified by finishing third at the T20 World Cup Qualifier held in Nepal.
Gaby Lewis captains the side across both ODI and T20I formats.
Full Ireland Women’s Central Contract List 2026–27
Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Georgina Dempsey, Laura Delany, Sarah Forbes, Abbi Harrison, Amy Hunter, Jennifer Jackson, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis (ODI and T20I captain), Louise Little, Joanna Loughran, Aimee Maguire, Jane Maguire, Lara McBride, Kia McCartney, Ellie McGee, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell, Alice Tector.
Why the Contracts Matter This Season
Graeme West, Director of High Performance at Cricket Ireland, described the central contracts as critical to ensuring player availability and readiness across what he called a defining stretch of fixtures. The men’s side is scheduled to play all three formats during the summer of 2026, while the women will compete in both white-ball formats with the T20 World Cup as the headline event.
West also spoke about the women’s education contracts, noting the commitment shown by players who chose to defer studies and work placements in order to prepare fully for the international schedule. He acknowledged the difficulty of not retaining some players but pointed to the quality of opposition ahead as a reason for optimism about the development of the squad.
With several newly contracted men’s players having already featured at the international level, West indicated that the coming year of high-level competition would serve as an accelerator for their development, with the 2027–28 ICC and Olympic white-ball events on the horizon.
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