Ben Stokes breaks silence on IPL 2025 mega auction absence, England captain says ’There’s no hiding..’

England Test captain Ben Stokes admitted that he didn't register for the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction, to prolong his career. The 33-year-old is at the twilight of his playing days and was a notable absentee in the list of 52 Englishmen who put their names in the auction. Stokes had earlier played for Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

In the IPL 2025 mega auction, which concluded on Monday, as many as 182 players found teams at a cost of cumulative ₹639.15 crore. There are several players over the years who have given IPL a back seat and prioritised national commitments. Australian Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, England James Anderson are some of the biggest names.

Speaking ahead of the England's Test series against New Zealand, Stokes revealed he wanted to look after his body. “(There is) just so much cricket,” Stokes told BBC Sport in Christchurch.

"There's no hiding behind the fact that I'm at the back-end of my career. I obviously want to play as long as I possibly can. Looking after my body and looking after myself as much as I can is key to that," the all-rounder added.

Born in New Zealand, Stokes will be leading England in three Tests against the Kiwis which starts on November 28. "It is about prioritising games and when I do play - obviously I'm in South Africa this year - so it's about looking at what I've got ahead," he said.

"Looking after my body and looking after myself as much as I can is key to that," added the 32-year-old, who was bought by now-defunct Rising Pune Supergaint for ₹14.5 crore ahead of IPL 2017.

Post the New Zealand series, Stokes will head to South Africa before starting preparations for next year's Ashes. In IPL, Stokes has played 43 games and scored 920 runs and took 28 wickets.