England Test captain Ben Stokes has decided to skip the mega auction for the Indian Premier League 2025, running the risk of getting banned by the Indian cricket board BCCI from participating in the 2026 season as well, media reports said.
Stokes doesn’t feature in the list of 52 English players who have registered for the IPL 2025 auction, which will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25.
As per the new IPL rules, an overseas player, who fails to register for the auction, will be barred from participating in the cash-rich T20 tournament the following season.
Stokes, who had opted out of 2022 mega auction, was roped in by Chennai Super Kings in 2023 through a mini auction.
Meanwhile, English pace bowler James Anderson, who retired from international cricket at the age of 42 in July this year, has signed up for the IPL 2025.
Anderson hasn’t played a T20 match since 2014. He has never participated in any global T20 franchise league.
Jofra Archer, another English pace bowler, too registered for the mega auction.
The 29-year-old has made a comeback from his injury that had kept him out of cricket for long.
He is hoping to play the upcoming series against India in the summer of 2025.
Under normal circumstances, every season of IPL is held across various cities of India in summer.
