• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Ben Stokes Banned From Ipl 2026 Here Is Why He Cannot Play The Next Season

Ben Stokes Banned From IPL 2026? Here Is Why He Cannot Play The Next Season

Anurag Dasgupta

Why no Ben Stokes in IPL 2026 [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]Why no Ben Stokes in IPL 2026 [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]

England captain Ben Stokes played one of his finest Test innings, as the all-rounder smacked 141 off 198 balls, and helped his team post a mammoth 669 runs on the board. This was Stokes' first Test ton in the last two years, and the Indian bowlers had no answer to his onslaught. 

Stokes became ultra-aggressive after his century as he pushed India on the back-foot, and was dismissed while trying to clear the fence. The English all-rounder is not only a great Test batter, but has also carved a name for himself in T20 cricket.

The left-handed batter has found success in the Indian Premier League, but he didn't put his name in the mega auction last year and was not a part of the league. However, even if he wants to play in the IPL 2026 season, he cannot, and here's a good reason for it.

New IPL rules stops Stokes from playing in IPL

As per the new IPL rules, any overseas player who doesn't enter the mega auction will not be allowed to register for the mini auction, with exceptions only made in case of injuries and/or medical conditions confirmed by the player's home board.

This change was introduced because many overseas players deliberately skip putting their names in the mega auction pool to fetch more money in the mini auction. In a mini auction, IPL sides release only a handful of players and have a large purse to go after a marquee superstar. The bids for a particular player is higher in the mini auction, as compared to mega.

Hence, with Stokes not registering himself in the mega auction 2024, he is not eligible to put forward his name in the IPL 2026 mini auction, which is set to take place at the end of this year.