Anderson, 42, misses IPL contract; 13-year-old Suryavanshi secures deal

James Anderson, England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker, who has taken 287 white-ball wickets for England, remained unsold during the second day of the Indian Premier League auction. In contrast, 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi was acquired by Rajasthan Royals for 1.1 crore (£105,000). Suryavanshi, a left-handed opener, previously scored a century off 58 balls for India Under-19s in a youth Test match against Australia. He became the subject of a bidding contest between the Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals, ultimately being secured by the team led by former India batter Rahul Dravid. Anderson, aged 42, retired from international cricket in July but chose to enter the IPL auction, stating there was “something in me that thinks I can still play”. He has not participated in any white-ball cricket for England since 2015, and his last T20 international appearance occurred over 15 years ago. During the initial phase of the auction, 116 players were auctioned in sets. Subsequently, the remaining 461 individuals who had registered for the IPL, including Anderson, were considered by teams as potential additions. All 10 teams then submitted lists of players they were interested in for an accelerated auction held on day two, but Anderson was not among those selected. While Anderson could potentially be signed as an injury replacement or to cover for a player leaving due to international commitments, this is considered unlikely given his lack of recent match practice. Meanwhile, several England players successfully secured deals. All-rounder Sam Curran, who became the most expensive player in IPL history during the 2023 season, was re-signed by his former team, Chennai Super Kings, for 2.4 crore (£225,000). Chennai Super Kings also secured fast bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton for his inaugural IPL contract. Will Jacks, who was previously with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, joined Mumbai Indians for 5.25 crore (£495,000). England newcomer Jacob Bethell, 21, also obtained his first contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and seamer Brydon Carse was purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali initially went unsold in the first round but was later acquired by the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders. These players will join England team-mates Jofra Archer, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, and captain Jos Buttler, who had secured deals on day one. Among the England players who went unsold were Adil Rashid, Jonny Bairstow, and Ben Duckett. Australian batters Steve Smith and David Warner also failed to secure contracts. India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant became the record buy, with Lucknow Super Giants paying 27 crore (£2.54m) for his services. Pant had returned to cricket in last year’s IPL following a 14-month lay-off due to a car accident.