After opting out of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, Ben Stokes is banned for playing the league for the next two seasons. The English batter can only be part of the auction and play in the cash-rich league once again in 2027. Stokes last played in the IPL in 2023 when he was part of the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) title-winning squad.
Ben Stokes’ absence was the big news from the 1574 list of players that have registered for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction scheduled to take place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah. Stokes will miss the mega tournament for the second year in a row having missed the 2024 season too.
However, Stokes will have to pay a heavy price for not registering for the 2025 auction and he will now be banned from playing the IPL next season too. The England Test captain cannot feature in the IPL or be part of the auction till the 2027 season.
This is because of a new regulation introduced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) while announcing the rules of the 2025 IPL Player retentions. Any overseas player that has not registered for the mega auction is not eligible for next year’s auction either.
