James Anderson Registers for IPL 2025 Mega Auction: Here’s His Base Price
James Anderson last T20 appearance was for Lancashire in the NatWest T20 Blast in 2014.
England’s legendary pacer James Anderson has thrown his hat into the ring for the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction, setting his base price at INR 1.25 crore. This is a surprising move from the veteran bowler, who last played a T20 match in 2014 and has never previously participated in the IPL.
Having retired from international cricket this past summer, Anderson now holds a bowling consultant role of England’s Test side, but he seems open to exploring new avenues in franchise T20 leagues.
James Anderson’s T20 Return on the Cards?
Anderson’s last T20 appearance was for Lancashire in the NatWest T20 Blast in 2014. Despite stepping away from international cricket, Anderson hinted that he hasn’t entirely closed the door on his playing career.
In an interview with a UK media agency, he had said:
“I might be in a bit of denial because I’m well aware I won’t play for England again, but I’ve still not made a decision on my actual cricket career. Once this summer is done, I can sit down and have a real think if I want to play cricket in some shape or form again next year.”
Anderson added that he’s still physically fit and ready to take on new challenges, although he remains unsure of the level of interest from franchises. He acknowledged the gap since his last T20 game and his age but expressed confidence in his ability to still perform in the shortest format.
“I know it’s a while since I played it and my age will get brought up again, but I really feel I’ll be good enough to play that form of cricket,” he said.
Team Budgets and Slots Available at IPL 2025 Mega Auction
With each IPL team allowed to build a squad of up to 25 players, the 2025 mega auction will offer 204 slots across 10 franchises after 46 players were retained. Following the retention announcements, each team heads into the auction with varying amounts of remaining purse, with Punjab Kings holding the largest sum (yet again):
| Team | Purse Remaining (INR) |
|---|---|
| Punjab Kings | 110.5 crore |
| RCB | 83 crore |
| Delhi Capitals | 73 crore |
| Gujarat Titans | 69 crore |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 69 crore |
| Chennai Super Kings | 55 crore |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 51 crore |
| Mumbai Indians | 45 crore |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 45 crore |
| Rajasthan Royals | 41 crore |
Retention Rules and Strategies for IPL 2025
For the upcoming season, IPL teams were permitted to retain up to six players, with restrictions allowing a maximum of five capped players and up to two uncapped players. Franchises could exercise these retentions in several ways: direct retentions ahead of the auction, or the use of Right-to-Match (RTM) options during the auction to reacquire released players.
