Franchises veer left of England gamers throughout IPL 2025 retentions fearing Champions Trophy pull-out

The mass exodus of England cricket team players from IPL 2024 has had its impact. None of the players who participated last season have been retained by franchises before the IPL 2025 mega auction. Even big names like Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, and Jos Buttler failed to impress the teams. The reasoning is simple. Why would a franchise look to retain/put their trust in a player who can either choose to leave or be withdrawn by their board?

England players left franchises stranded

Due to the T20 World Cup 2024 coming up, most of the English players were pulled out by the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) ahead of the playoffs. This affected some teams, especially the Rajasthan Royals, who were in prime form before and were knocked out in Qualifier II without Buttler at the top.

It wasn’t just that they left midway. Many like Jason Roy, Mark Wood, Harry Brook, and David Willey didn’t even come to India. This forced the franchises to change their plans mere weeks or sometimes even days before the event started. The reason behind pulling out is irrelevant to the franchise. They are here to win.

Forced BCCI to make changes in rules

So, they forced BCCI to change the rules. Going forward, a player must register themselves in the mega auction if they wish to participate in the mini auction in the years to follow. Moreover, once you are picked at the auction, you can’t pull out without a valid reason.

Injury or a medical condition—that’s the only way a foreign player would be allowed to skip the league that year and participate in the auction in the subsequent year. Also, the pull-out reason will be deemed fair only if the player’s home board gives it the green light. If a foreign player decided to pull out without a valid reason, he would be a 2-year ban from participating in the league.

ECB to pull out players due to ICC Champions Trophy?

A similar situation could very well happen this year as well. Unlike last year, when an ICC event was scheduled right after the IPL 2024, this season, an event is just before. The Champions Trophy 2025 could force the ECB to once again pull-out their players. Workload management will most probably force some of the English players out. But, it won’t just be the Champions Trophy. 

On May 22, they face Zimbabwe in a one-off Test. It’s unlikely that the IPL 2025 Final will be played before that date. Last season, it was May 26. So, that means players who play Test cricket for England would have to be pulled out. A player might just accept to be banned, and the franchise may get their money back, but they’ll have to find another replacement and think, is it worth the hassle?

England players in IPL 2024