James Anderson Aims For IPL 2025 Auction: 'Want To Play Cricket Again'

James Anderson, a renowned figure in England's Test cricket history, has shared his reasons for entering the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. He feels physically fit and is eager to seize any opportunity to play cricket again.

Anderson, who stepped away from international cricket earlier this year to pursue coaching, has registered for the IPL Mega Auction 2025 with a base price of Rs 1.25 crore. His decision has surprised many fans and experts alike.

The 42-year-old has not participated in the IPL before and hasn't played T20 cricket since 2014 when he represented Lancashire in the T20 Blast. His last appearance in a white-ball match was in 2019, with his final limited overs game for England being during the 2015 ODI World Cup.

Despite not playing limited overs cricket for over ten years, Anderson's registration for the IPL auction has caught many off guard. The legendary bowler expressed his desire to return to playing cricket and believes he still has much to contribute.

"That's the whole point of going in the auction, I think, I want to play cricket again. Whether I get picked up or not is a different matter. There's definitely a feeling inside of me that I've got more to offer, in some shape or form," Anderson was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

Anderson retired from Test cricket as one of its greatest wicket-takers. Since debuting at Lord's in 2003, he amassed an impressive tally of 704 Test wickets, ranking him third behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.

Impressive Bowling Record

"So, however long down the line that might be, in whatever capacity that might be I'm not sure yet. But I'm really keen to play. I feel really fit, I've been bowling still, ticking over, so I feel like I'm in a good place and I'd love to have an opportunity to play somewhere."

Throughout his career spanning over two decades, Anderson claimed a total of 991 international wickets. In T20Is, he took 18 wickets across 19 matches and secured 41 wickets in 44 games in the shortest format overall.

In One Day Internationals (ODIs), Anderson concluded with an impressive record of 269 wickets from 194 matches. His achievements have solidified his legacy as one of England's finest bowlers.