London, UK

England Test captain and star all-rounder Ben Stokes might skip IPL 2025 to prioritise the upcoming heavy Test season, per the reports in the British media. Stokes is said to lead the bunch of English players who are undecided over their participation in the cash-rich league for two reasons mainly – first, considering the Tests workload and, secondly, for BCCI’s latest policy of banning players who decide to leave the campaign midway for international commitments.

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Stokes last played in the IPL two years ago in 2022, wherein he represented Chennai Super Kings (CSK), though he featured in just a handful of matches and was benched for most of the season due to an injury. The left-handed batter missed last season to work on his fitness and manage his workload.

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Per a report in The Telegraph, Stokes, alongside several first-team Test players, could see themselves opting out from registering their names in the auction list, the deadline of which is Sunday (November 3). 

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Meanwhile, the Stokes-led England Test team will host India for five Tests at home this summer before flying Down Under for the away Ashes, a top-tier series England is dearly preparing for a long time. For the Poms, the fitness and availability of express pace bowlers like Mark Wood and Jofra Archer are of the highest importance, and considering the tight schedule, both might join Stokes in avoiding putting their names for IPL 2025.

BCCI’s new policy adds salt to injury

Before the Indian Cricket Board and the IPL decided on launching a policy of barring players from leaving the season midway unless for health and unavoidable reasons, several overseas players over the years, English mainly, used to play for half a season or 3/4th before leaving their IPL teams for international duty. 

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Like last season, Rajasthan Royals’ star batter Jos Buttler and Kolkata Knight Riders’ Phil Salt left before the Playoffs, much to the frustration of their teams. 

Now, with the new rule in play, none of the overseas players can do so; what they can do here is not put their name in the auction should they not commit to playing the whole season. 

Besides, those who would not put their names in this year’s auction will be banned from IPL auctions for the next two years.

Meanwhile, Stokes was in the news recently for a robbery at his house in the UK when he was away playing in Pakistan. A gang of masked men broke into his home on October 17, when Stokes was busy playing the second Test in Multan. Besides taking away precious items like jewellery, the thieves also stole several valuable possessions from his house. 

One person has been arrested in this matter.  

(With inputs from agencies)