England’s former pacer, 42-year-old James Anderson, has made waves by signing up for the big auction in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), scheduled for November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
This year’s auction features 1,574 players, including 1,165 Indian talents and 409 overseas players. Anderson, who previously retired from T20 cricket, has yet to make an appearance in the IPL.
He last played T20 cricket back in 2014, during a T20 Blast match for Lancashire against Warwickshire. Anderson’s T20 career includes just 19 international matches, with his last appearance in 2009.
Explaining his decision to register for the auction, Anderson expressed his belief that he still has more to offer. “There’s still definitely something in me that thinks I can still play,” Anderson told BBC Radio 4 Today. “I have never done the IPL; I have never experienced it, and I think for a number of reasons, I feel like I have more to give as a player.”
Anderson, who announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket and played his final Test against the West Indies in July at Lord’s, now sees the IPL as an experience that could benefit his evolving role as a mentor and coach. Anderson initially tried to join the IPL in 2012 but went unsold, as he had already focused on Test cricket by that time.
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Reflecting on his new goals, Anderson said, “I have done a little bit of coaching since I finished in the summer. I have been around the England team, doing a bit of mentoring or whatever you like to call it. I just think opening my eyes to something like [the IPL] might help me grow my knowledge of the game and help further down the line.”
The auction will take place at the Abady Al Johar Arena, also known as the Benchmark Arena, where franchises will look to fill 204 available spots, with each team allowed to build a squad of up to 25 players.
