At 42, is James Anderson's registration for IPL 2025 auction at 1.25 crores realistic?

At the age of 42, James Anderson, England's one of the best pace bowlers, retired from international cricket. After playing for 22 years, leaving the sport might not have been an easy job for the right-arm fast-medium bowler. All these years, Anderson's core concentration was on red-ball cricket and now that he bid farewell to it, he has decided to stay closer to the game by participating in T20 leagues worldwide. 

Anderson played his last T20 game in 2014 for Lancashire. The former English player is set to make his comeback into the shortest format of the game by participating in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The cash-rich tournament has finally lured another Englishman to join, increasing its popularity. Anderson has registered himself for the 18th edition of the IPL at a base price of INR 1.25 crores. 

James Anderson - A correct fit for IPL at INR 1.25 crores?

Although it's great news for IPL that a legendary player like Anderson will be a part of it, the simple question that arises is whether the player deserves INR 1.25 crores as the base price. There are many things that a franchise will look into before getting Anderson into their team, and the first one would be his current playing status. Anderson holds a lot of experience on the cricket field. However, he hasn't tried his hands on the shortest format for a long time. 

Plus, playing in Indian conditions isn't an easy job since he'll have to bowl against world-class T20 batters like Travis Head, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, and many more. IPL is one such tournament where more preference is given to the batters than the bowlers in recent times. Hence, he might be hit for boundaries if he fails to deliver well. 

Apart from this, some young and talented bowlers are coming up in the tournament who will be given more preference and have chances of representing their countries in the future. These young players will come at a lower price than Anderson. He might not work as a match-winner, which will prevent the franchises from buying him in the first place. Hence, the franchises will consider all these aspects before spending a huge amount, like INR 1.25 crores, on him. 

However, CSK has a track record of getting players who have experience and are slightly older. So, they might opt for Anderson in the auction. Some franchises like Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings have a vast purse who can also go for him.

The positive point towards his inclusion is the guidance that the young lads will get from an experienced person who has seen a lot of ups and downs in cricket but never forgot to play his game in style. The fun part for the fans would be to sit and watch the auction and see who bids for Anderson on November 24 and 25.