England's James Anderson registers for IPL 2025 auction at 42
In a surprising move, 42-year-old English cricket veteran James Anderson has registered for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the first time. This comes after Anderson's retirement from international cricket in July this year. Despite last playing a T20 match over a decade ago in 2014 for Lancashire, he has set his base price at ₹1.25 crore for the upcoming IPL auction.
A look at Anderson's T20 career
Anderson has a relatively modest T20 experience, having played just 44 matches. He has taken 41 wickets in these matches, 19 of which were for England. However, his registration for the IPL auction speaks volumes about the faith in his ability to compete at the highest level of cricket. As mentioned, his last T20 appearance came over a decade ago, in August 2014.
Anderson considered participation in T20 leagues following Test retirement
It was earlier reported that Anderson has been contemplating a surprising return to T20 cricket. He retired from international cricket following his first Test against West Indies, marking the end of an illustrious career. Anderson is the highest wicket-taker among pacers in the longest format, with 704 scalps at 26.45. He has the third-most Test wickets overall after Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Shane Warne (708).
IPL 2025 auction: A look at the player pool
The IPL 2025 auction has drawn a total of 1,574 players, vying for 204 slots across 10 franchises. The player pool includes 1,165 Indian cricketers and 409 overseas players. The final list will be decided by the franchises in the week leading up to the auction on November 24 and 25.
Ben Stokes missing from list due to this rule
Along with Anderson, 52 other English players have signed up for the IPL 2025 auction. Notably, Jofra Archer is eyeing a comeback after an injury-plagued stint with Mumbai Indians. However, England Test captain Ben Stokes has opted out of this year's auction. Injuries have been thwarting Stokes of late. As per the new rule, overseas players who withdraw after being signed up by franchises will be banned from the IPL for two years.
