Stokes to Miss IPL; Anderson and Archer Enter Player Auction

England captain Ben Stokes has chosen to withdraw from the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, citing the need to manage his fitness and workload. In contrast, former England bowler James Anderson has registered for the player auction. Stokes, aged 33, is not among the 52 English players who have signed up for the auction, which is scheduled for 24 and 25 November. This decision also renders him ineligible for the 2026 competition, in accordance with new rules announced by the IPL last month. However, England’s leading wicket-taker, 42-year-old Anderson, who retired from international duty in July, has put his name forward, as has pace bowler Jofra Archer. Anderson has not played since his final Test against West Indies at Lord’s and has not participated in a T20 match since 2014. He has never played in a global T20 franchise league. Archer’s decision is notable, especially given hopes for his potential return to Test cricket next summer. The 29-year-old, who was named the IPL’s most valuable player in 2020, has made a comeback from a series of back and elbow injuries this year in white-ball cricket. There is still optimism that he could feature against India next summer and in the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia. The 2025 IPL is also set to coincide with the early rounds of the County Championship, which could potentially prevent Archer from demonstrating his fitness in the longer format of the game. This year, the IPL introduced a new rule stipulating that overseas players who are signed by franchises but subsequently withdraw will face a two-year ban from the competition. While the exact dates for the 2025 IPL have not been confirmed, the 2024 season ran from 22 March to 26 May. After the Champions Trophy concludes in early March, England’s next match is a four-day Test against Zimbabwe on 22 May. The IPL has stated that 1,574 players have registered for the auction, although a list of names has not yet been released. Franchises will shortlist players they are interested in over the coming weeks, with a full list to be published closer to the auction date. No England players were retained by their franchises prior to the auction, with England white-ball captain Jos Buttler among those released. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has not commented on which centrally-contracted players have signed up for the auction. Buttler joined England’s training session in Barbados on Monday as he aims to return from a calf injury in the T20 series against West Indies, which begins on Saturday. The 34-year-old has not played since the T20 World Cup in June and has confirmed he will not return as wicketkeeper in the Caribbean, with Phil Salt taking the gloves. Buttler has kept wicket in 106 of his past 108 T20s for England, but he will be replaced as part of a refresh of the white-ball sides following their unsuccessful defences of two world titles. “Maybe it will get a little bit more out of him at mid-off, having an opportunity to chat to the bowlers,” said Salt. “The only thing that keeping takes away from you is the advantage of being there with the bowlers at the top of their marks all the time.” “Sometimes you can can get stuck in a bit of a position where the only times you’re running up to a bowler is when things aren’t going to plan and you’re running up to reaffirm positive things.”