IPL mega auction 2025: 42-year-old James Anderson registers for first time; Ben Stokes opts out
New Delhi: In a surprising move, James Anderson has registered for the IPL 2025 auction at the age of 42, marking his first-ever entry into the high-profile sporting event.
The veteran English pacer, who retired from international cricket this year with a record 704 Test wickets, has reportedly listed himself with a base price of Rs 1.25 crore.
Anderson, who has never featured in a global franchise T20 league, last played a T20 match back in 2014 for Lancashire. Over the course of his career, he has played 44 T20 matches, 19 of those in England colours, while picking up 41 wickets.
Anderson is currently the bowling coach of the national team.
Meanwhile, Anderson's former teammate and England's Test captain Ben Stokes is not among the list of players who have registered for the auction.
The mega auction for IPL 2025 is slated to take place in Jeddah on November 24 and 25. A total of 1,574 cricketers (1,165 Indian and 409 overseas) have been signed up for the auction.
Punjab Kings will enter the two-day mega auction with the largest purse of Rs 110.5 crore, followed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru with Rs 83 crore and Delhi Capitals with Rs 73 crore.
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Rocket from Yemen strikes Tel Aviv, injuring 16, as Palestinians mourn 19 dead in Gaza
Tel Aviv, Dec 21: A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people slightly injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians.
A further 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before the projectile hit just before 4 am Saturday, the military said.
The Houthi rebels issued a statement on the Telegram messaging app saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.
The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi attack in which a long-range missile hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.
The Israeli military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won't stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports “that will lead to the immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The port at Hodeida has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides' attacks risk further escalation in the region and undermine UN mediation efforts.
