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.

For the upcoming match, England have handed debut to left-hander Jacob Bethell, who will bat at number three. The side currently sits at sixth place in the ongoing World Test Championship points table and are out of contention for reaching the final, to be held at Lord's next year.

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.

Captain Ben Stokes says he opted out of the Indian Premier League auction in order to prolong his England career.

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.