Some of the world’s top cricketers will be among 574 players seeking an Indian Premier League (IPL) payday when the lucrative T20 tournament begins its mega auction on Sunday, November 24. A whole host of overseas stars have listed their names for the mega auction, with some unexpected faces also throwing their name into the hat. Overseas players have also been heavily sought-after in recent auctions. We look at five stars up for grabs during the two-day bidding frenzy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

1. James Anderson (England) –The England Test great wants to add a final chapter to his storied career and is seeking an IPL berth for the first time, entering the auction at a base price of $148,115.

The 42-year-old fast bowler retired from Tests earlier this year after 704 wickets, the third-highest in five-day history after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and Australian spin king Shane Warne.

He has limited experience in 20-over matches, playing 19 internationals for England with his last 15 years ago.

But Anderson has said he isn’t ready to call time on his career, prompting West Indies great Viv Richards to liken his longevity to LeBron James.

2. Mitchell Starc (Australia) –The 34-year-old smashed the IPL auction record last year when Kolkata Knight Riders netted his services for $2.98 million.

The left-arm quick and handy lower-order slugger was instrumental in their run to the title, including taking 2-14 in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Kolkata nevertheless opted not to retain him. “It is what it is, that’s franchise cricket,” Starc said.

With 193 wickets in 142 T20 matches, the imposing Starc — he is 1.96 metres (6 feet 4 inches) tall — enters the auction at the top base price bracket of $237,000.

3. Rishabh Pant (India) – Pant, 27, was forced out of competitive cricket for more than a year after a serious car crash in December 2022 but returned to captain the Delhi Capitals this year.

India’s top wicketkeeper-batsman and the franchise parted ways after their disappointing sixth-placed finish and Pant will also enter the auction at a $237,000 base price.

With his sharp glovework and knack of taking on bowlers with attacking and unconventional batting, pundits believe he is in the running to secure a record payday.

“Mitchell Starc’s auction record is in danger,” former India quick Irfan Pathan said on social media.

4. David Miller (South Africa) – Known as “Killer Miller” for his destructive batting, the South African has a T20 international strike rate of close to 140.

The 35-year-old is also looking for a new home after playing with Gujarat Titans since the team’s inception in 2022, smashing 210 runs in nine matches in this year’s season.

India’s dismissal of Miller in this year’s T20 World Cup final in Barbados was a key moment in the match and the Proteas went on to lose.

He is likely to set off a bidding war after registering for the auction at a base price of $178,000.

5. Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand) – Ravindra made an instant impact in his IPL debut this year, smashing 222 runs at a punishing strike rate above 161 for Chennai Super Kings.

The left-hander’s ability to play spin with aplomb on subcontinent pitches saw him fare well during last year’s ODI World Cup and in New Zealand’s recent 3-0 Test whitewash in India.

The Wellington-born Ravindra’s parents hail from Bengaluru and hopes abound there that he will join the city’s franchise, which also features fan favourite Virat Kohli.

The 25-year-old’s first name reflects his father’s love of India’s cricket greats — “Ra” from Rahul Dravid and “chin” from Sachin Tendulkar.

Ravindra enters the auction at a $178,000 base price.

James Anderson, England’s legendary pacer and current bowling mentor, has voiced strong support for Jofra Archer, suggesting that the speedster could play a pivotal role in England’s quest to reclaim the Ashes in Australia in 2025/26. Archer, who has faced a challenging spell with injuries, has only played white-ball cricket since recovering from a persistent elbow injury and hasn’t featured in a Test match since February 2021. Anderson, however, sees the pacer as essential to England’s Ashes campaign – if he’s willing and physically able to take on the demands of the red-ball game.

Anderson spoke about Archer’s potential, stating, “If we can keep him fit, the Ashes is a definite opportunity. The only worry is whether the injuries have scared him away from Test cricket and he thinks: ‘Can my body cope?’ But if Jofra works hard enough, and he’s managed well, he would be huge for us in the Ashes,” Anderson told The Guardian.

England’s current focus on building a formidable pace attack has also contributed to Anderson’s own retirement from international cricket, as the team prepares a roster of quicks fit for Australian conditions.

Beyond Archer, Anderson highlighted England’s promising crop of fast bowlers, including Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, and Matthew Potts, all of whom could be vital contributors to England’s attack in 2025/26.

Among the new generation of bowlers, Anderson praised Surrey’s Gus Atkinson, who debuted in the same match Anderson bowed out against the West Indies. Atkinson’s impact was immediate, with 12 wickets in the series, including a stunning seven-wicket haul in the first innings. Anderson noted that Atkinson, who has now accumulated 40 wickets in eight Tests, has ‘got it all.’

“I think we’ve got enough experience with Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Archer potentially, and then the guys that are coming in.

“Gus Atkinson has done really well, so have Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts. They’re getting experience all the time and if they’ve got 12 Tests under their belts that’s great. It doesn’t have to be 50 Tests.”

“He has got it all. Pace, skill and he picks up things really quickly. I’ve worked with him a little bit and he’ll say, ‘right, I want to learn an in-swinger’ and within 12 balls he’ll have it. That’s a great trait. He’s got amazing ability and a great temperament.”

File photos of MS Dhoni (left) and James Anderson.© BCCI and AFP

With James Anderson entering the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the first time ever, former England skipper Michael Vaughan feels the legendary pacer could end up playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Anderson, who retired from Test cricket earlier this year, has registered at a base price of Rs 1.25 crore for the IPL 2025 mega auction, scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25. However, Anderson has not played a T20 game since 2014, and it will be interesting to see if any franchise will show interest to get him on board.

Vaughan suggested he won’t be surprised if CSK bid for Anderson at the auction, mainly because the franchise has always fancied new ball bowlers who offer swing.

“You mention James Anderson, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jimmy Anderson ends up at Chennai Super Kings. You heard it here first. They are a team that like someone who can swing it in the first few overs. They had a swinger, be it Shardul Thakur. It would not surprise me if Jimmy Anderson ends up at Chennai,” Vaughan said on Club Prairie Fire Podcast.

The IPL has announced the dates for the auction and Gilly spotted they clash with a pretty big Test match whilst Vaughany gives us a hot tip on where he thinks Jimmy Anderson will go…#ClubPrairieFire pic.twitter.com/hhYhdHDDLJ

— Club Prairie Fire (@clubprairiefire) November 10, 2024

Meanwhile, Anderson recently opened up on his decision to register for the IPL auction, saying that he is keen to play cricket again after announcing his Test retirement.

“That’s the whole point of going in the auction, I think, I want to play cricket again. Whether I get picked up or not is a different matter. There’s definitely a feeling inside of me that I’ve got more to offer, in some shape or form,” Anderson said on Sky Sports.

“So, however long down the line that might be, in whatever capacity that might be I’m not sure yet. But I’m really keen to play. I feel really fit, I’ve been bowling still, ticking over, so I feel like I’m in a good place and I’d love to have an opportunity to play somewhere,” he added.

Ben Stokes will miss the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the England Test captain did not register for the mega auction, scheduled to be held in Riyad, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25. Stokes’ name was missing from the long list of 1,574 players who have registered for the player’s auction. For the unversed, Stokes won’t be eligible to register for the IPL 2026 mini auction, which means that he will be barred from playing the next season too.

As per the IPL governing council’s new rule, “Any Overseas Player will have to register for the Big Auction. In case the overseas player doesn’t register, then he will be ineligible to register in the following year’s player auction.”

The 33-year-old also decided to give the last season of the IPL a miss in order to manage his workload and focus on his fitness. Meanwhile, Stokes’ compatriot James Anderson has registered for the IPL for the very first time.

The 42-year-Anderson, who retired from Test cricket earlier this year, last played a T20 10 years ago in 2014. 

Ace Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who has gone unsold in previous auctions, has also entered the fray with the a base price of Rs 2 crore.

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, who was the most expensive buy in the IPL’s last auction at a price of Rs 24.50 crore, is back in the pool for this year’s auction with a base price of Rs 2 crore.

England quick Jofra Archer, who last played in the 2023 edition, is also listed for the same base price.

With up to six players permitted to be retained ahead of the mega auction, IPL teams can build a squad of 25 players each and there will be 204 slots available after 46 players were retained by 10 teams put together.

Each team will have a total purse of Rs 120 crore as Punjab Kings have the biggest purse of Rs 110.5 crore, followed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru with Rs 83 crore, Delhi Capitals with Rs 73 crore and Gujarat Titans with Rs 69 crore.

Lucknow Super Giants will also have Rs 69 crore in their purse while five-time winners Chennai Super Kings will have Rs 55 crore.

Last year’s winners Kolkata Knight Riders will come into the auction with Rs 51 crore in purse while five-time champions Mumbai Indians will have Rs 45 crore, last year’s runner-up Sunrisers Hyderabad will have Rs 45 crore and Rajasthan Royals will have Rs 41 crore.

(With PTI Inputs)

England head coach Brendon McCullum defended legendary pacer-turned bowling coach James Anderson’s decision to delay his arrival in Pakistan owing to participation in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a pro-am golf competition in Scotland. As a result of his involvement in the tournament, Anderson, 42, who turned the red-ball side’s bowling coach during the Test summer after his retirement from international cricket following a match against West Indies, missed the pre-series presentation for the three Tests in Pakistan and would not be arriving there till October 8, which will mark the second day of the first Test match, as per Wisden.

However, the legend has maintained contact with English pacers in the meanwhile, which is an inexperienced line-up led by veteran Chris Woakes and features youngsters Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse.

McCullum defended Anderson’s delayed arrival on Sky Sports, quoted as saying by Wisden. “Two months ago, you guys were saying he did not deserve to be the coach. Now we are missing him. That is affirmation of how good an impact Jimmy Anderson has made in the short period of time [during] his transition from player to coach.”

The Test head coach also said that, “We live in a world where you can still communicate without being face to face.”

McCullum emphasised that Anderson has made a huge transition from a bowler to coach following a career over two decades and his role is not full time.

Notably, Pakistan is currently playing England in a three-match series, with the first Test at Multan starting from today. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first.

England is at the fourth place in ICC World Test Championship standings with eight wins, seven losses and a draw after series wins against West Indies and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan are eighth in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 standings after their series loss to Bangladesh at home.

Teams:

Pakistan (Playing XI): Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood(c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Aamer Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope(c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

File image of R Ashwin.© BCCI/Sportzpics

File photo of James Anderson© AFP

Mark Wood scripted history as he bowled the fastest recorded Test over by an England bowler at home during the ongoing day of the second Test against West Indies at Trent Bridge here on Friday. Wood, who replaced retired pacer James Anderson in England’s playing 11, set the bar high in his first over as he wasted no time and clocked the speed of 93.9 mph (151.1 km/h) on the first delivery to opener Mikyle Louis. He bettered his it and clocked 96.1 mph (154.65 km/h) on the second ball, leaving the batter clueless. Wood continued his onslaught with deliveries at 95.2 mph (152.88 km/h) and 92.2 mph (148.06 km/h) before delivering a searing 96.5 mph (155.30 km/h) yorker on his fifth ball, which Louis managed to dig out for a single.

The 34-year-old England pacer ended the over with another fast delivery at 95.2 mph (153.20 km/h) to West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, averaging 94.40 mph over six balls.

In his second over, Wood ramped up the heat with deliveries clocked at 95 mph (152 km/h), 93 mph (149.66 km/h), 95 mph (152 km/h), 96 mph (154.49 km/h), 97.1 mph (156.26 km/h), and 94 mph (151.27 km/h).

In the third Ashes Test at Headingley last year, the 34-year-old Wood raised the tempo when he reached blazing speeds of 91 mph, 93 mph, 95 mph, 93 mph, 94 mph, and 93 mph in an over. In the end, England prevailed by three wickets in the test.

Wood upped the ante when he hit a short delivery against Louis at 97.1 mph in his third over.

The 34-year-old is regarded as one of the world’s quickest bowlers across formats. In the Multan Test in 2022, he set the fastest Test delivery speed of 156.6 kmph against Pakistan.

In the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, which England won, Wood bowled the fastest delivery of the tournament, clocking 154.74 km/h against New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips in a Super 12 match. Wood dominated the top 10 fastest deliveries of the World Cup, with six of his balls exceeding 153 km/h.

Wood also set a record for the fastest T20 over in men’s cricket, averaging 149.02 kmph in a four-over spell against Afghanistan during the World Cup. Additionally, he bowled the fastest delivery of the 2019 ODI World Cup, reaching 154 km/h against New Zealand’s Henry Nicholls in the final at Lord’s.

James Anderson in action© AFP