As per The Telegraph, England Test skipper Ben Stokes is unlikely to remain available for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. This comes as Stokes wants to focus on his international career.
Stokes missed the last year’s auction and featured in the cash-rich League for Chennai Super Kings in 2023. He played in just two games, before suffering a season-ending toe injury. The southpaw then captained the England team in the Ashes and was a part of the 2023 ODI World Cup team.
Despite retiring from the white-ball formats, Ben Stokes still wants to make a return after Brendon McCullum’s appointment as head coach. Although he hasn’t retired from ODI and T20Is, Stokes decided to skip the T20 World Cup to prioritize red-ball format.
The England side is scheduled to travel to India for a five-match T20I series in January next year. Then, the all-important Champions Trophy will also be held, bringing white-ball in focus for the side. In a packed calender, England will tour Australia for the Ashes and T20 World Cup will take place in early 2026. As a result, Stokes will reportedly be unavailable for the IPL 2025.
Moreover, the IPL franchises have become strict regarding overseas players pulling out of the tournament at the last stage. Harry Brook, who was snapped by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last year’s auction, withdrew due to his grandmother’s death. Jason Roy, who has found takers in the last two auctions, pulled out on both occasions, much to the disappointment of the franchises.
Hence, a player will now be imposed a two-year ban, if they pull out of the season after getting picked up at the auction. As per reports, English players are likely to register their names in the mega auction, despite them being unavailable during the course of the tournament. This comes after a new ruling which states that overseas players will have to compulsarily register their names for the mega auction, for getting considered for the subsequent mini-auctions.
Ben Stokes-led side recently lost Test series in Pakistan
The English side traveled to Pakistan for a three-match Test series last month. The first fixture saw them declare on a mammoth total of 823/7 in response to Pakistan’s 556. Harry Brook scored a triple century, while Joe Root scored 262. As a result, the visitors won by an innings and 47 runs.
However, things went completely downhill from the second Test, which saw Pakistan adding Noman Ali and Sajid Khan into the XI. Interestingly, Ben Stokes also came back to lead the England side from this fixture.
The spin duo picked all 20 wickets in the second test, as Pakistan went on to dominate them by 152 runs. The final game witnessed the hosts secure a clinical victory by nine wickets. Despite taking a lead in the first game, England lost the series 2-1. Stokes failed to contribute with the bat, as he could garner only 53 runs in four innings.
