Jofra Archer was given belated permission from the ECB to enter this weekend's IPL auction, despite initially not wanting him to play in the 2025 competition. Here's what changed their mind.
The auction for next year's tournament will take place in Jeddah on Sunday. This edition's is a mega-auction, with more players up for grabs and more spaces on each team to fill than in a normal year. When the initial list of 574 players to go under the hammer at the auction was released, Archer was not on it. This was despite him being on the longlist of players which was whittled down to that number, and there likely being heavy interest in securing the pacer's services.
While there is a strong contingent of England players on the auction list, including Jos Buttler, Gus Atkinson and Harry Brook, the likes of Ben Stokes and Joe Root have not elected to seek a place in a squad. This decision has more consequences than it would have had in a previous year. The IPL have introduced a new rule for this auction, in an attempt to stop players only choosing certain or convenient seasons of the tournament to play in.
If a player doesn't enter the auction this year, and that player has featured in the IPL before, they will be ineligible to enter the auction for the next two years. Penalties have also been increased for players withdrawing from the competition after being bought by a franchise, with the combined effect of meaning more international players will feature in the IPL despite the increased workload it will put on them, especially given the increasing player salaries.
Jofra Archer is not one of the 208 overseas players listed on the IPL auction shortlist 👀
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) November 15, 2024
Read the potential reasons for his omission ➡️ https://t.co/vURJNyOE3W pic.twitter.com/UnslD99KXg
Why did Archer not initially enter the auction?
All of the above left England in a tricky position. While they desire to manage his workload with a vision of his return to Test cricket this year, denying him the opportunity to enter this year's IPL would cost him potentially millions of pounds in earning potential across three years of the IPL.
England's desire to have greater control over Archer's fitness, workload and injury management isn't just limited to him. Mark Wood is also not on the list of players set to go under the hammer this weekend, with the fast-bowler still recovering from an elbow injury which surfaced over the summer. Both bowlers are set to feature in the Champions Trophy in March, with the tournament set to finish less than a week before the start of the IPL.
Since he returned to international cricket earlier this year after an injury he sustained in the 2023 IPL kept him out of action for 12 months, Archer has had a (touch wood) decent run of staying injury free. He played all of England's warm-up series against Pakistan in May and all through the T20 World Cup. He also played all of Southern Brave's fixtures during The Hundred and England's white-ball series against Australia. England's recent trip to the Caribbean saw him play three ODIs and three T20Is.
The plan has long been for Archer to return to red ball cricket in 2025, with Sussex hopeful of his services in the early rounds of the County Championship and then a five-match Test series against India - all in time for the Ashes down under. While Archer's career has been plagued by injury, there have been genuine hopes over the last six months that all is starting to fall into place, with England's meticulous planning of the matches and series he plays.
The 2025 IPL was reportedly not part of that plan. By the time the IPL finishes on May 25, the County Championship will likely be starting its break for the start of the T20 Blast, limiting Archer's options of red-ball practice. If England want him to feature in one of their India Tests, they will have to do so with limited testing of how well he will hold up under the increased stress of longer format games.
Why is Archer now expected to enter the auction list?
With the new three-year rule in place, there was little England could do to stop Archer entering the auction for this year. Denying a player who's career longevity is more uncertain than most the potential of millions in earnings is unthinkable. Archer has two years left on his central contract, so they could potentially have been denying him the opportunity to take an IPL contract longer than he is under their employment. It's also highly likely Archer will be picked up by a franchise for considerable sum, given his pedigree and history in the format.
Archer reaffirmed his wish to return to Test cricket over England's home summer last year, but the pull of the IPL adds another hoop to jump through. While England had hoped to manage their project subject closely over next winter, they will now have to watch from afar, wide-eyed at every wince or show of discomfort he shows.
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