Ben Stokes Absent from IPL’s Mega Auction List of 1,574 Players
Mumbai, November 6: England all-rounder Ben Stokes is notably absent from the initial list of 1,574 players registered for the upcoming IPL mega auction, scheduled to take place in Jeddah on November 24 and 25.
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Marquee Indian Players Lead the Auction
The list features prominent Indian players who were released by their teams ahead of the auction. These include Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, R Ashwin, and Yuzvendra Chahal, all setting their base price at ₹2 crore. Other Indian stars, such as Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Deepak Chahar, have also listed themselves in the same price bracket.
Several notable names like Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj, Venkatesh Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and Shardul Thakur are also among those at the ₹2 crore base price. Meanwhile, unsold players from previous auctions, such as Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw, have entered the pool at a base price of ₹75 lakh.
International Stars in Focus
Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc, who fetched ₹24.50 crore in the last IPL auction as the most expensive buy, is back in the fray with a base price of ₹2 crore. Ace spinner Nathan Lyon and England’s Jofra Archer have also registered for the same base price.
A surprising entrant this year is former England pacer James Anderson. The 42-year-old, who retired from Test cricket earlier this year, has registered for the IPL for the first time, despite not having played a T20 match since 2014. Anderson’s move is unexpected, given his lack of T20 experience and absence from global franchise leagues.
Stokes’ Absence
Ben Stokes, who chose to skip the last IPL season to manage his workload and focus on fitness, has decided to remain unavailable for this year’s auction as well. Stokes’ absence is significant given his stature as one of the world’s premier all-rounders and his ability to influence games with both bat and ball.
Team Purses and Auction Dynamics
With up to six players allowed to be retained, IPL franchises will compete to fill 204 available slots to build squads of 25 players each. Teams will operate with a total purse of ₹120 crore, and the funds available vary significantly across franchises:
- Punjab Kings lead with ₹110.5 crore.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru have ₹83 crore.
- Delhi Capitals hold ₹73 crore.
- Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants each have ₹69 crore.
- Chennai Super Kings will work with ₹55 crore.
- Kolkata Knight Riders come into the auction with ₹51 crore.
- Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad each hold ₹45 crore.
- Rajasthan Royals have the smallest purse at ₹41 crore.
Auction Expectations
The auction is expected to generate excitement with teams looking to restructure and bolster their squads. The inclusion of seasoned players like James Anderson and Nathan Lyon, alongside marquee stars like Starc and Archer, adds intrigue to the event. On the other hand, Ben Stokes’ absence will leave a notable void, with franchises likely redirecting their focus toward other all-rounders.
The trimmed list of players and final auction dynamics will set the stage for what promises to be an exciting and strategic bidding war ahead of the IPL 2025 season.