The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced that 1574 players have registered for the much-awaited 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction scheduled to be held on November 24 and 25 in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.
In a surprising twist, England Test captain Ben Stokes, known for his contracts in the past, has decided not to register for the upcoming auction. Stokes, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 16.25 crore in the 2023 mini-auction, will not participate in the 2024 season.
On the other hand, James Anderson, who recently retired from international cricket, has registered. The 42-year-old veteran with a base value of Rs 1.25 crore will be entering the auction after a gap of 13 seasons. Despite being the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history, Anderson is yet to make his IPL debut after going unsold in the 2011 and 2012 auctions.
Interestingly, Anderson has not played any T20 cricket since 2014, when he last appeared in a T20 Blast match for Lancashire against Warwickshire. The iconic English pacer has played just 19 T20 matches, the last of which he played in 2009.
Throughout his career, Anderson has featured in 44 T20 matches, picking up 41 wickets at an economy rate of 8.47. In T20 Internationals, he has picked up 18 wickets at an economy rate of 7.84.
The final shortlist for the auction is eagerly awaited, with the BCCI expected to reveal the selected players in the coming days. Of the registered players, 52 are from England, making them the third-largest contingent of overseas players after South Africa (91) and Australia (76).
During the IPL 2025 retention on October 31, none of the ten franchises opted to retain any English player. High-profile overseas releases included England white-ball captain and Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler.
