Jofra Archer Excluded from IPL Auction Shortlist, James Anderson Included

England fast bowler Jofra Archer has not been selected for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction shortlist, while James Anderson has been included. Batter Joe Root and fast bowler Mark Wood are also absent from the 37 England-qualified players who will participate in the auction, scheduled for 24 and 25 November. Anderson, the 42-year-old former England seam bowler, secured a spot on the list after it was reduced from 1,574 initial applicants to 574, following discussions with the 10 IPL franchises. Entry to the auction was open to all centrally-contracted England players. Archer’s exclusion is notable, considering his ongoing struggles with injuries and his declared ambition to resume playing Test cricket. The reason for Archer’s absence from the shortlist, despite being on the longlist, remains unclear; it is unknown whether he withdrew or was removed. For Archer, 29, to participate in Test cricket in 2025, he would probably need to play Championship cricket for Sussex during the early English summer, a period that overlaps with the IPL schedule. Archer, who was designated the IPL’s most valuable player in 2020, has returned to white-ball cricket this year following multiple back and elbow injuries. Despite this, there is still an expectation that he might play against India next summer and in the 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia. According to new regulations, any international player who has previously participated in the IPL but is not part of the current auction will be ineligible to play in 2025 or 2026. This rule affects Archer, Wood, Root, and England Test captain Ben Stokes, whose non-participation has been previously announced. Anderson, England’s top wicket-taker, who retired from international cricket in July, has not played since his last Test match against West Indies at Lord’s and has not competed in a T20 game since 2014. Anderson’s reserve price is approximately £117,000. Last month, when the retained player lists of the 10 IPL teams were confirmed, no English players were included. Jos Buttler, England’s white-ball captain, is among 81 players in the auction who have the highest reserve price, set at approximately £187,000. While the specific dates for the 2025 IPL have not yet been finalized, this year’s tournament took place between 22 March and 26 May. The list of England-qualified players included in the IPL 2025 auction is as follows: Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Phil Salt, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ben Duckett, James Vince, Moeen Ali, Will Jacks, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jordan Cox, Gus Atkinson, Tom Curran, Ollie Pope, Richard Gleeson, Reece Topley, Luke Wood, Leus du Plooy, Michael Pepper, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Olly Stone, Dan Worrall, Matthew Potts, John Turner, Dan Lawrence, James Anderson, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, David Payne, Benny Howell.