One of the biggest topics of discussion among the 1574 players who signed up for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, which is set for November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, was Ben Stokes' absence. Stokes, who missed the 2024 season as well, will miss the mega tournament for the second consecutive year.
Stokes will now be prohibited from participating in the IPL the next season and will have to pay a hefty price for failing to register for the 2025 auction. Until the 2027 season, the England Test captain is not eligible to play in the IPL or be up for auction. This is due to a new rule that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced along with the 2025 IPL player retention guidelines. Additionally, any foreign player who has not signed up for the mega auction will not be able to participate in the auction the following year.
BCCI's rule which will ban Ben Stokes from taking part in IPL 2026
"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," stated BCCI's rule.
Why did BCCI implement this rule?
Players who missed the mega auction were more likely to enter the mini-auction and win large sums of money, according to a trend observed throughout the year. After the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made a massive offer in the 2023 mini auction, Stokes, who missed the 2022 mega auction, won an incredible Rs. 16.25 crore. Rising Pune Supergiant (RPSG) paid Rs. 14.25 crore for Stokes at the 2017 IPL mini-auction, giving him his first-ever IPL contract. In the 2018 mega auction, he was sold to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for just Rs. 12.5 crore, despite having an incredible debut season.
In the 2021 mini-auction, Pat Cummins sold for Rs. 15.5 crore to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and in the 2024 mini-auction, he sold for Rs. 20.5 crore to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). But in the 2022 big auction, KKR only paid Rs. 7.25 crore for him. It is important to remember that Stokes will only be available through a mini-auction in 2027. A player who is selected at the auction but is unable to participate during the season will be prohibited from participating in the auction or playing for the next two years, according to the BCCI.
