Ben Stokes prioritised international cricket over IPL as he opted out of the 2025 mega auction. Here's why the England skipper made this tough decision.

England test captain Ben Stokes says he opted out of the bidding in the Indian Premier League to prioritize playing international cricket in what he described as the “back end” of his career.

England captain Ben Stokes decided not to offer his services as part of the Indian Premier League super-auction this week, opting to prioritise his international career instead

Ben Stokes has revealed he did not enter the IPL mega auction to strip back his playing commitments as he attempts to prolong the twilight of his career. Stokes was a notable omission from the list of 52 Englishmen signed up for the mega auction in Jeddah for the 2025 competition.

Stokes made his debut in IPL in the 2014 season, following that, he has played 45 matches in the tournament and scored 935 runs at a strike rate of 133.95 and an average of 24.60.

Ben Stokes explains reason behind opting out of IPL 2025 mega-auction. (Source - Getty Images) England Test captain opted out of the IPL 2025 mega-auction, which happened on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah.