Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer likely to face lengthy IPL absence due to England Cricket Board’s decision

England cricket stars Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes might miss the next few seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). 29-year-old Jofra Archer had registered for the auctions but his name wasn’t part of the final pruned list. It is believed that the England Cricket Board (ECB) wants Archer to preserve himself for the long season ahead. 

Archer played a few seasons for Rajasthan Royals before being released. Mumbai Indians bought Archer for a huge sum of money and the English star missed the 2022 season. The right-arm seamer made his debut for Mumbai during the 2023 season before being released at the end of the season. 

Ben Stokes has played for a few teams and last represented Chennai Super Kings. His stint ended due to injury before withdrawing from the 2024 season. According to the latest rules formed by BCCI, players who pull out from the auctions will not be considered for further mini-auctions. 

Aakash Chopra backs Chennai Super Kings to pick KL Rahul 

Meanwhile, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra said that KL Rahul could make a move to Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2025 season. The 32-year-old parted ways with Lucknow Super Giants during the recent round of retention and releases on 31st October. 

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the 47-year-old said, “What all do they need? I feel they need a successor to Dhoni, a wicketkeeper-batter and it’s great if they get an Indian. Everyone is saying, let me also say – he is more than 30 years old, is going to be a father very soon and everyone has written him off as well, so he is right for Chennai, that’s KL Rahul. So they will definitely go for KL Rahul.”

India’s former star also said, “We can’t say for how long they will go but they will try to acquire him because the franchise still has ₹55 crore to be spent. So if they can get an Indian like him, Ishan Kishan or Rishabh Pant for ₹10-15 crore, they are going to try. They might think about Shreyas Iyer for some time because they will need Indian batters to bat in those conditions.”