Trent Rockets 2026 Preview: Boehly’s Second English Team

Trent Rockets enter 2026 under an ownership structure familiar to English football fans: Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly’s investment vehicle, Cain, agreed to buy a 49% stake in the franchise for close to £40m, extending Boehly’s English sporting footprint from Stamford Bridge to Trent Bridge.

Ownership and Background

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club retains the majority of the franchise, with Boehly’s group as minority investor. Home matches continue at Trent Bridge — traditionally one of the format’s highest-scoring venues, and a ground where the top order is expected to set the tone.

Squad Overview

Squad: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Tim David, Mitchell Santner, Finn Allen, David Payne, Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Daniel Mousley, Matt Henry, Sam Billings, Aneurin Donald, Ben Mayes, Danny Briggs, Bradley Currie, Louis Kimber

The Headline Names

Ben Duckett and Tim David were both secured as pre-auction direct signings, giving Trent Rockets a top order built for exactly the kind of high-scoring surface Trent Bridge typically produces. Tom Banton, retained ahead of the auction, adds further power-hitting depth alongside Finn Allen, one of white-ball cricket’s most explosive powerplay batters.

Mitchell Santner brings left-arm spin control through the middle overs, while Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton give the pace attack genuine all-round balance — both capable of contributing with the bat as well as sharing the new-ball and death-bowling workload.

The Women’s Headline Signing

On the women’s side, Trent Rockets made one of the auction period’s most significant statements by signing Beth Mooney — the four-time World Cup-winning Australian wicketkeeper-batter — for a fee among the joint-highest bids of the entire women’s competition. Mooney’s arrival gives Trent Rockets a genuine chance to challenge at the top of the women’s run-scoring charts in 2026, and represents one of the clearest examples of a franchise using the new auction system to land a genuinely transformative individual talent.

What to Watch

Trent Rockets’ squad-building leans heavily into top-order power across both the men’s and women’s teams — a strategy that should suit Trent Bridge’s flat, boundary-friendly surfaces, but puts real pressure on a bowling attack that’s solid rather than spectacular on paper. Whether Santner, Gregory and Overton can defend competitive totals against sides with similar batting depth will likely decide how far this squad goes.

Key Fixtures

Trent Rockets open their 2026 campaign away against Birmingham Phoenix on 24 July at Edgbaston.

The Bigger Picture

Boehly’s investment gives Trent Rockets a recognisable ownership story, but the more substantial narrative heading into 2026 is squad construction: a top-order-heavy men’s team built for Trent Bridge’s scoring conditions, paired with arguably the single most impactful individual signing of the entire women’s auction in Beth Mooney. For a franchise chasing its first title since the format began, both halves of the roster look built to contend.