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Ben Stokes Mulling To Withdraw From IPL 2025 Mega Auction To Prioritise Test Cricket

Ben Stokes to make himself unavailable for IPL 2025 (@HustlerCSK/X.com)Ben Stokes to make himself unavailable for IPL 2025 (@HustlerCSK/X.com)

In a significant development, England Test team captain and seasoned all-rounder Ben Stokes is reportedly pulling out from the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction to prioritise national duties. With the Ashes coming up in 2025, Stokes wants to stay fit and avoid unnecessary workload of the T20 league.

IPL 2025 mega auction is expected to be a noteworthy event with many star names going under the hammer. Indian star cricketers, including KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer, will be up for grabs as well.

Besides the local names, several overseas players have always been released by franchises. David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Mitchell Starc and many more will enter the mega auction as hot picks.

Ben Stokes to skip IPL 2025 for Test cricket 

However, England Test captain Ben Stokes is reportedly considering withdrawing from the tournament. As per Telegraph, Stokes’ top priority is Test cricket and with a long season ahead, he wants to stay fit. 

Stokes, who previously played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2023, is unlikely to enter the mega auction. Notably, as per a new precedent set by the IPL governing council, players who withdraw from the IPL 2025 mega auction will be ineligible to seek an entry in the following mini-auction in IPL 2026. Hence, if Ben Stokes misses the event this year, he won’t be able to play IPL until 2027. 

Across 43 IPL games, Ben Stokes has 920 runs to his name with a 134.50 strike rate and 2 centuries. With the ball, he picked up 28 wickets with an 8.56 economy.

IPL 2025 mega auction to take place overseas

The IPL 2025 mega auction is likely to take place on November 25 and 25 at Riyadh city of Saudi Arabia. BCCI is keen on hosting the auction overseas since the dates are clashing with the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Series between India and Australia. Besides Riyadh, Dubai, Singapore, Jeddah, London and Vienna are few venues shortlisted by BCCI.