IPL Auction: James Anderson registers for the mega auction while Ben Stokes misses out

The BCCI has announced the final dates for the IPL 2025 mega auction following the retentions confirmed by respective franchises. Overall, 1,574 players have registered for the mega auction, scheduled for November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As per a recent update, ace England pacer James Anderson has registered himself in the auction list for the upcoming season. English Test skipper Ben Stokes, however, is likely to remain absent from the proceedings. The auction pool this time, moreover, consists of many exciting prospects, as the former skippers of LSG, KKR, and DC are out to find a new base.

IPL auction: KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer register at the base price of 2 crore

The title-winning captain of the IPL 2024 champions, Shreyas Iyer, has been released by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the mega auction. The former skipper and the KKR management reportedly faced a conflict of interest regarding the retention slab fit for Iyer. As they failed to reach common ground, Iyer found himself in the auction pool. Similar conflicts arose in the DC and LSG camps. After the on-field drama last season between KL Rahul and LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka, Rahul’s exit from the camp was an obvious implication. Rishabh Pant, meanwhile, developed a disagreement with the DC management regarding his role as captain.

Apparently, the DC management communicated to Pant that they were looking for a new captain. However, Pant was not ready to relinquish his leading position, opting to enter the mega auction instead. Prior to Pant’s exit, Ricky Ponting left the camp and subsequently joined Punjab Kings as head coach. Now, with Punjab Kings on the lookout for a skipper and the biggest purse in the auction, Pant is likely to receive the highest bid from the side. Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer are listed in the auction pool at a base price of 2 crore.

Apart from Rahul, Pant, and Iyer, ace spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, who were both released from Rajasthan Royals, are also included in the 2 crore base price group. The list, furthermore, includes primary pacers Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Deepak Chahar, who has not been at his full potential due to injury over the last couple of seasons, has also registered in the auction with a base price of 2 crore. The list further includes Mukesh Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, T Natarajan, Krunal Pandya, Umesh Yadav, Devdutt Padikkal, and Washington Sundar.

James Anderson enters the IPL auction at the base price of 1.25 crore

As for the overseas picks, Mitchell Starc, who became the costliest player in the history of IPL last season when KKR splurged a record 24.50 crore, has been released from the side. The Australian has subsequently registered in the IPL 2025 mega auction at a base price of 2 crore. Joining him in this group will be English pacer Jofra Archer, who has previously played for MI. In an interesting update, James Anderson, who retired from international cricket this year, has listed his name in the mega auction at a base price of 1.25 crore. Ben Stokes has not entered the auction following the injury he picked up at The Hundred league this year.

Notably, Stokes will not be able to join the league next year if he fails to register for the IPL 2025 mega auction. As per the new guidelines laid out by the board, a player cannot enter the 2026 mini auction after opting out of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Among the 1,574 players who have registered for the mega auction, 409 are overseas picks, including one player each from the UAE and Italy.

For the IPL 2025 mega auction, each team was allotted a purse amounting to 120 crore. Moreover, the respective franchises were allowed to retain up to six players, with a guideline specifying that at least one of the six retentions must be an uncapped Indian player. Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders are the only team to use all of their six slabs ahead of the mega auction. Punjab Kings, meanwhile, has retained just two uncapped players and will enter the auction with the biggest purse, containing 110.5 crore. RCB has secured the second-highest amount, with 83 crore left after retaining Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal for 21 crore, 11 crore, and 5 crore, respectively.