Yet To Make IPL Debut, 42-Year-Old England Legend James Anderson Registers For Auction After 13 Years, 10 Years After Last Playing A T20

The 42-year-old England legend will return to the IPL Auction after 12 years Photo : AP

KEY HIGHLIGHTS 1574 players have registered for the auction

The 42-year-old England star is set for his IPL debut

The England legend last played a T20 match in 2014

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that a whopping 1574 players have registered for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, which will take place on November 24 and 25 in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.

According to ESPN Cricinfo, the big surprise has come from England, as Test captain Ben Stokes , who has multiple big-money contracts in the past, has not registered himself. Stokes was purchased by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs. 16.25 crore in the 2023 mini-auction but he did not play in the 2024 season.

However, there is a massive development as James Anderson has registered himself for the auction, months after retiring from international cricket. The 42-year-old will have a base price of Rs. 1.25 crore and will come under the hammer after a long gap of 13 seasons. The third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history is yet to make his debut in the IPL after going unsold in the 2011 and 2012 auctions.

Interestingly, Anderson has not played any T20 cricket since 2014 when he featured in a T20 blast game for Lancashire against Warwickshire. The legendary England pacer only played 19 T20Is with the last coming in 2009.

Overall, Anderson has played 44 T20 matches in his career and taken 41 wickets at an economy of 8.47. In 19 T20Is, he took 18 wickets at an economy of 7.84.

It remains to be seen if Anderson makes the final shortlist with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expected to announce the final shortlist a few days later.

A total of 52 England have registered which is the third most among overseas players after South Africa (91) and Australia (76). There are 1165 Indian players who could go under the hammer but the list only includes 48 capped stars.

Click here to read article