Stokes was a notable omission from the list of 52 Englishmen signed up for the mega auction in Jeddah for the 2025 competition. It means England's Test captain would not be allowed to play in the IPL until 2026, by which time he would be 35. Under the new regulations introduced by franchise owners - and ratified by the BCCI - players who have previously appeared in the league but did not register for the mega auction would be unable to register for the subsequent mini-auction.

History suggests the allrounder would have fetched a hefty deal. Stokes has previously earned lucrative million-pound deals with Rising Pune Supergiant, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

"[There is] just so much cricket," Stokes told BBC Sport in Christchurch ahead of England's first Test against New Zealand. "There's no hiding behind the fact that I'm at the back-end of my career. I obviously want to play as long as I possibly can. Looking after my body and looking after myself as much as I can is key to that."

England's Test side face a legacy-defining 2025 with a five-match Test series at home to India before the Ashes at the end of the year. And with Brendon McCullum assuming control of the limited-overs teams, Stokes could well return to the ODI set-up for the Champions Trophy in February. All of this on top of a stint with MI Cape Town in the SA20 at the start of the year.

Having spent most of the last 12 months rehabbing his left knee after surgery and recovering from a torn right hamstring, Stokes, centrally contracted to the ECB until October 2026, admitted it was time to start listening to his body for the good of what remains of his international career.

"[It is about] prioritising games and when I do play - obviously I'm in South Africa this year - so it's about looking at what I've got ahead and making the decision that I think is right for me to be able to prolong my career as long as possible. I want to wear this England shirt for as long as I can."

By not entering the auction altogether, Stokes has also helped the ECB, who found themselves in an awkward situation last week when they had to budge late to allow Jofra Archer to enter the auction despite initially blocking the move. Archer, whose central contract runs until October 2025, was bought by RR for 1.2m (US$1.49 million approx.).