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Why Will Ben Stokes Be Banned From Participating In IPL 2026 Auction?

Ben Stokes - (Source:@KnightClub/X.com)Ben Stokes - (Source:@KnightClub/X.com)

On November 5, the BCCI released the list of registered players for the IPL 2025 mega-auction to take place in Jeddah on November 24 and 25.

A total of 1574 players registered for the mega-event, which features 1165 Indians and 409 overseas cricketers. While, the upcoming event will see several stars like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Glenn Maxwell go under the hammer, there are a few big names missing from the list.

Ben Stokes To Be Penalised For Not Registering His Name

According to a report from ESPN Cricinfo, England's red-ball skipper Ben Stokes has not registered his name for the mega-auction and will miss the upcoming season. The southpaw has had a tryst with injuries and also missed the IPL 2024 because of the same. 

The most recent one came during the Hundred 2024 when he tore his hamstring and sat out of action for a few months. Stokes even missed the first Test against Pakistan and recently returned to cricket. While he has had a history of injuries, the reason behind his non-registration is assumed to be his prioritisation of Test cricket. 

However, it has sparked trouble for Stokes as he is likely to be banned for the IPL 2026 auction as well because of the new IPL rules set by the BCCI.

What Does BCCI's Revised IPL Rules Suggest?

According to the IPL rules that were revised this year, an overseas player who does not register for the mega auction will not be allowed to register for the mini-auction for a year, with exceptions only made in case of injuries and/or medical conditions confirmed by the player's home board. 

This change was made to discourage players from targeting mini-auctions, where bids for marquee players are typically higher than at mega-auctions.

"Any Overseas Player will have to register for the Big Auction. In case the overseas player doesn’t register, then he will be ineligible to register in the following year’s player auction," the rule says.

Stokes is yet to issue a statement on his unavailability.