IPL 2025: England’s Test captain Ben Stokes will not feature in the upcoming IPL 2025 season after opting out of the IPL mega auction, which is set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25, 2024. Stokes’ name is absent from the long list of 1,574 players who have registered for the auction, marking a significant decision for the all-rounder’s IPL future.

Ben Stokes Misses Out on IPL 2025 Auction

Ben Stokes, who had previously decided to skip the 2024 IPL season to manage his workload and focus on fitness, will now also miss the 2025 season due to the IPL governing council’s new rule. According to this rule, any overseas player who does not register for the mega auction will be ineligible to participate in the following year’s player auction, making Stokes unavailable for both the 2025 and 2026 IPL seasons.

James Anderson Registers for IPL Auction

In a surprising move, James Anderson, who recently retired from Test cricket at the age of 42, has registered for the IPL 2024 auction. Anderson, who last played a T20 match in 2014, will be looking to make his IPL debut, marking a notable shift in the career of the veteran England pacer.

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Other Key Players in the Auction Pool

Several notable players will also feature in the auction, including Nathan Lyon, the Australian off-spinner who has previously gone unsold but now enters with a base price of ₹2 crore. Also joining the auction is Mitchell Starc, who became the most expensive player in the last auction at ₹24.50 crore, and Jofra Archer, who last played in the 2023 IPL. Both players have a base price of ₹2 crore.

Auction Details and Team Budgets

A total of 204 slots are up for grabs in this year’s auction, with IPL teams permitted to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction. Each team will have a purse of ₹120 crore, with the Punjab Kings holding the largest purse at ₹110.5 crore. Other teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore (₹83 crore), Delhi Capitals (₹73 crore), and Gujarat Titans (₹69 crore) also have significant budgets.

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