New Delhi: Star England all-rounder Ben Stokes is reportedly said to miss from the IPL 2025 mega auction with the focus on national team’s Test calendar year. England will be playing two of their heavy Test series against rivals India and Australia in 2025.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Stokes is understood not to put his name in the IPL 2025 mega auction, which will return after a span of three years. The move won’t be surprising as the England Test captain has taken similar calls in the past.
Stokes has just played three IPL matches in the past four seasons. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a whopping amount of INR 16.25 crore in IPL 2023, but played just two matches in the season before a toe injury sidelined him from the MS Dhoni-led playing XI.
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The England Test captain has played 45 IPL matches across six seasons, having played for now-defunct Rising Pune Super Giant (2017), Rajasthan Royals (2018-2021) and CSK (2023). He has scored 935 runs at a strike rate of 133.95, including two half-centuries and two centuries. He has also picked up 28 wickets at an economy rate of 8.64.
Stokes was released by CSK ahead of IPL 2024 mini-auction after the player had planned for his knee surgery and recover to complete fitness before the five-match Test series against India in their backyard (in January-March window this year).
No England player retained before IPL mega auction
Not a single player from England was retained by any of the 10 IPL franchises before the mega auction. The most shocking release was of England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler, who spend seven seasons with the franchise from 2018 to 2024. Young all-rounder Sam Curran, who captained Punjab Kings in absence of Shikhar Dhawan, was also let go by the 2014 IPL finalists.
The deadline for players to submit their names for the IPL auction is on Sunday (November 3). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has came up with a strict rule for players who pull out of IPL seasons just before its commencement. Any player who withdraws other than injury reason will face a two-year ban from participating in the IPL auction.
