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England skipper Ben Stokes revealed the main reason behind not taking part in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and said that he is at the back end of his career.
Stokes was absent from the list of 1574 players who had registered for the IPL 2025 mega auction, which took place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Stokes opted out of IPL 2024 to manage his workload and fitness after suffering a hamstring injury during the Hundred in August. Speaking to BBC Sport, Stokes said that he wants to play as he can. "[There is] just so much cricket. 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," Stokes was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying. He added that it is right for him to prolong his career as long as possible. "[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 and making the decision that I think is right for me to be able to prolong my career as long as possible. I want to wear this England shirt for as long as I can," he added. 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. In the T20 tournament he has represented Rising Pune Supergiant, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings. (ANI)
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