The stage is set for the IPL 2025 mega auction. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the date, venue, and the list of registered players for the mega auction. The IPL 2025 mega auction will be held on 24 & 25 November in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
This time, 1,574 players have registered for the auction. However, the name of England’s Test captain Ben Stokes is not on the list. Stokes will face a ban from the IPL for not registering himself for the mega auction. Yes, due to a BCCI rule, Stokes will not be able to participate in the next two IPL seasons.
Ahead of the mega auction, BCCI issued new guidelines for the IPL. One such rule states that if any foreign player does not register for the IPL mega auction, they will be ineligible for the following year’s auction. Consequently, Ben Stokes will not be able to participate in the 2026 auction either.
According to the BCCI, “Any foreign player must register for the mega auction. If a foreign player does not register, they will be deemed ineligible for the next year’s auction.”
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Why did BCCI create this rule?
BCCI introduced this rule because, in recent years, it was observed that foreign players who skipped the mega auction were earning substantial amounts in the smaller auctions. To address this, BCCI has taken strict action against foreign players.
Ben Stokes has benefited from this in the past
Ben Stokes has done this before. After skipping the 2022 mega auction, he entered the 2023 auction, where Chennai Super Kings bought him for a hefty sum of INR 16.25 crores.