Ben Stokes prioritised international cricket over IPL as he opted out of the 2025 mega auction. Here's why the England skipper made this tough decision.

By Daisy Atino Earlier the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had asked all the IPL franchises to confirm their list of retained players by October 31

England test captain Ben Stokes said he opted out of the bidding in the Indian Premier League to prioritize playing international cricket in what he described as the “back end” of his career. Stokes sat out the lucrative IPL this year to ease his workload following knee problems and was a notable absentee in the auction for the 2025 edition.

Ben Stokes has revealed he did not enter the IPL mega auction to strip back his playing commitments as he attempts to prolong the twilight of his career. Stokes was a notable omission from the list of 52 Englishmen signed up for the mega auction in Jeddah for the 2025 competition.

Stokes made his debut in IPL in the 2014 season, following that, he has played 45 matches in the tournament and scored 935 runs at a strike rate of 133.95 and an average of 24.60.

Ben Stokes explains reason behind opting out of IPL 2025 mega-auction. (Source - Getty Images) England Test captain opted out of the IPL 2025 mega-auction, which happened on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah.