Doesn’t it feel different than in years past? Has the mindset of the England players towards the IPL changed as a result? Are the IPL teams simply not interested in them because they are no longer good enough? What else is it? There were ten after that. There are currently only 10 English players in the IPL 2025. Twelve were present, but Brydon Carse (injury) and Harry Brook have withdrew.
“Rob Key, who is in charge back at the ECB, has basically tried to – and he’s fairly right – encouraged his players to play as much for England [as possible],” Nick Knight, the former England opener, stated on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 TimeOut show.
“They are playing India in a five-Test series. They have an Ashes to contend with. They currently take good care of their multi-format players, such as Mark Wood and Harry Brook. Additionally, they will need to be cared for.
“Some of that effect is present. Therefore, athletes might not have to travel to play in all of these leagues across the globe. Other leagues are also beginning to emerge. You could want to play in another league if you can’t obtain the full price [at the IPL auctions] that you might want. For some of these players, a variety of these kinds of influences are at play.
A quick check reveals that ten English players are participating in the 2025 IPL. Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Moeen Ali, and Jofra Archer. Carse and Brook choose not to participate. It is believed that the Delhi Capitals (DC) reached out to Ben Duckett to replace Brook, but he declined.
In contrast, there were 18 English players split among the ten teams in the 2024 Indian Premier League. At different points during the IPL, a few of them pulled out, but that was a lot more than they are today.
According to Matt Roller of ESPNcricinfo, some of the England players’ stocks have declined recently, which may be related to their recent struggles at ICC white-ball tournaments. England was the reigning 50-over World Cup champions and the 2022 T20 World Cup winners when the last mega auction took place, prior to the 2022 Indian Premier League. They were highly sought after.
“Perhaps the stock of some of these players is not quite as high because of the ICC trophies, and the way some of these competitions globally have been going,” Knight stated, which was correct. “Look at Sam Curran, you know. He won Player of the Tournament at a couple of T20 [World Cups] in Australia.
“And he enters the IPL auction and receives a severe beating. Therefore, a lot of things are coming together to make some players less [in demand] than you might anticipate.”
Isn’t it a little like a chicken-and-egg situation? Did the England players enter the IPL because they were that excellent, or did playing in the IPL help them improve their T20 skills? Now, how does it operate?
“A lot of people have benefitted from playing in the IPL, because a lot of them got better playing against spin, and also wickets that were slow,” Ambati Rayudu stated. In January and February of this year, the England team visited India for a white-ball series. They are simply playing one-dimensional cricket, particularly when playing against spin and in the middle overs. You also need talent to go hard against spin. Where does one develop that, then? On wickets like these or in the subcontinent, you develop it. Thus, it’s a Catch-22 scenario.
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