Cricket Jersey Collecting: A Guide for Collectors
Collecting cricket shirts is cheaper and easier to start than collecting caps or bats, and most collections begin with replicas: a shirt from every IPL side, every county, or every team at a World Cup. This guide covers the kinds of shirt you can collect and what each is worth, where the big money in cricket memorabilia actually goes, how to buy signed and match-worn items without being caught out, and how to look after a collection.
What You Can Collect
| Kind of shirt | What it is | Collector value |
|---|---|---|
| Fan or replica | The mass-produced shirt sold to supporters | What it cost new; the value is in completing a set |
| Player specification | A retail shirt made to the on-field design, such as India's authentic jersey or England's Pro Test shirt | A better shirt, but still retail stock |
| Player edition with name and number | A replica or player-spec shirt printed with a named player | Sentimental, and harder to find once the player moves on |
| Match-worn | Worn by a named player in a named match | The only kind with real resale value, and only with provenance |
Our guide to authentic cricket shirts explains licensing and how to spot a fake, and the page on old IPL jersey values sets out what match-worn shirts actually sell for.
Ways to Build a Collection
- By league. One shirt from every IPL side, every SA20 franchise or every Hundred team. Franchise leagues change designs every season, so a set is a snapshot of one year.
- By team over time. Every England one-day shirt, or every Kolkata Knight Riders design. Older seasons are where the hunting starts.
- By tournament. Every side at a World Cup, including the associate nations whose shirts rarely reach the UK.
- By player. Every team one player has turned out for, from county to franchise.
- By surprise. A mystery box with your existing teams on the avoid list adds a shirt you would not have picked, often from a league you do not yet follow.
Where the Big Money Goes
The record prices in cricket memorabilia are for caps and bats, not shirts.
| Item | Price | Sale |
|---|---|---|
| Shane Warne's baggy green | A$1,007,500 | Warne's own charity auction for bushfire relief, January 2020 |
| Don Bradman's 1947-48 baggy green, given to India's S.W. Sohoni | A$460,000 | Lloyds Auctions, January 2026 |
| Don Bradman's 1934 Ashes bat | A$245,000 | December 2021, the Guinness World Records most expensive cricket bat |
| MS Dhoni's 2011 World Cup final bat | £100,000 | Charity dinner, London, July 2011 |
Warne's cap, sold for the Australian Red Cross, beat the A$425,000 paid for a Bradman cap in 2003, according to Wisden. The Bradman cap sold this January had been kept by the Sohoni family for more than 75 years, and its buyer plans to put it on display in an Australian museum. Shirts sit a long way below: the best-documented match-worn Test shirts sold in the UK recently made between £1,400 and £4,600.
Buying Signed and Match-Worn Items
Signed shirts and bats are where collectors get caught out, because a signature is easy to fake and hard to check. Buy from sources that can show where the item came from:
- Official and charity auctions. Team and charity sales collect items straight from the players. The 2025 Red for Ruth auction at Lord's digitally authenticated every match-worn item, and IPL sides such as Delhi Capitals have run their own signed-shirt auctions.
- Established sports auction houses. They describe each lot's history and condition, but they do not always vouch for it themselves: BUDDS, for example, states that any certificate of authenticity comes from the seller.
- Be wary of a certificate on its own. A certificate is only as good as whoever signed it. A photograph of the signing, a named source and a believable story count for more.
The same applies to signed bats: squad-signed bats are common, because teams sign them for charity and benefit events, while a bat a player actually used in a match is rare and should come with evidence.
Looking After a Collection
For shirts you wear, follow the label. Kit makers' instructions are much alike: PUMA's for its 2026 Royal Challengers Bengaluru replica say to wash it inside out in cold water, and never to tumble dry it, iron over the print or dry it in direct sunlight. Shirts you keep need different treatment. Do not wash a signed or match-worn shirt: the marks of the match are part of its history, and auction listings point out when a shirt is unwashed. The National Trust's advice for precious textiles applies: limit light, dirt, damp and insects, handle the shirt as little as possible, and store it flat in an acid-free box padded with rolls of acid-free tissue so it does not crease. If you frame a shirt, hang it out of direct sunlight, because light damage to fabric builds up and cannot be undone.
FAQs: Cricket Jersey Collecting
What is the most valuable piece of cricket memorabilia?
Shane Warne's baggy green, which sold for A$1,007,500 in a 2020 charity auction for bushfire relief.
Are cricket shirts a good investment?
Replicas are not. Match-worn shirts from star players can sell for thousands of pounds, but the market is small and depends on the player and the match.
How do I know a signed cricket shirt is genuine?
Buy from an official, charity or established auction source that can show where it came from. A certificate alone is not proof.
Where can I buy authentic signed cricket bats?
From official team and charity auctions and established sports auction houses, with the bat's history described in the listing.
How should I store cricket shirts?
Flat, in an acid-free box with acid-free tissue, away from light and damp. Do not wash a signed or match-worn shirt.
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