Retired from international cricket and at the age of 42, still wanting to play in the IPL? James Anderson, one of the greatest pacers to ever play the game, found himself in the MS Dhoni territory, just that the Englishman hasn't played a T20 for more than a decade. His last List-A appearance came back in 2019. However, the Lancashire lad is still driven and confident that he can contribute now that the 'Test door is shut'.
"There's still something in me that thinks I can still play," Anderson said on BBC Radio 4's Today program while promoting his new book 'Finding The Edge'. Anderson has time and again expressed that he was forced into retirement earlier than he would have liked and now that he is swiftly moved into coaching, he hoped that IPL experience - if it happens - would help him somewhere down the road.
"I've never experienced the IPL, so for a number of reasons I feel I have more to give as a player.
"I have done a little bit of coaching since I finished in the summer. I have been around the England team. I've done a bit of mentoring, or whatever you'd like to call it. Opening my eyes to something like that, experiencing it, might help me grow my knowledge of the game and help me further down the line," Anderson added.
Anderson was one of the 1,574 players and 52 England cricketers to register for the IPL 2025 mega auction. Obviously, these are just the registrations and the final list will get slimmed down further with a maximum of 204 spots up for grabs, but who knows Anderson might make it to the shortlist as they say, you don't buy experience in the supermarket.
Anderson ended his career with 704 wickets in 188 Test matches, no mean feat for a Test-match bowler.
As far as England were concerned, Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith were the two key names missing from the player registration. While Stokes has opted out and may now not take part in the 2026 edition as well, Smith has decided to prioritise his young family with him set to become a father in coming days. Smith, however, will be able to take part in the mini auction in 2026 if he were to register, since he hasn't played the IPL in the past.
The two-day player auction takes place in Jeddah on November 24 and 25.
