England's record Test wicket-taker James Anderson hopeful of making IPL debut in next year's tournament after registering for upcoming auction; 42-year-old has not played T20 cricket since 2014; Anderson says "talks ongoing" with Lancashire over playing for county next season
Saturday 9 November 2024 11:46, UK
James Anderson says he is "really keen to play" in the 2025 IPL but has not yet been made aware of any interest in him from the competition's franchises.
England's record Test wicket-taker was a surprise inclusion on the list of registered players for the T20 tournament's auction, which takes place later this month.
The 42-year-old has not played a T20 match since 2014 and has never been part of the IPL.
Anderson has not featured in a competitive fixture since his send-off from Test cricket at Lord's in July, which was forced upon him after England decided to focus on preparing younger fast bowlers for next winter's Ashes tour of Australia.
"That's the whole point of going in the auction, I think, I want to play cricket again," said Anderson, who was speaking to Sky Sports News following the release of his autobiography, Jimmy Anderson: Finding The Edge.
"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.
"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."
Anderson, who has taken up the role of bowling mentor with the England team since his retirement, has registered a base price in the IPL auction of INR 1.25 crore which equates to around £114,000.
Each team has a total of INR 120 crore to build their teams, including retained players, and the auction will be held in Saudi Arabia across two days, November 24 and 25.
Each of the IPL franchises can have a total of up to 25 players in their squads and 46 players have been retained by the 10 IPL sides, leaving 204 slots still up for grabs.
Asked if he had received any interest from any of the 10 teams, Anderson said: "Nothing yet.
"We'll just have to wait and see, keep my fingers crossed and see what happens."
Looking further ahead, Anderson said "talks were ongoing" with his county Lancashire about appearing for them in 2025.
He said: "It's quite difficult at the minute with the coaching stuff that I've been doing. "I'm trying to find the balance and still not quite sure which direction I want to go, because I've only been retired three or four months.
"Trying to make those decisions is quite tricky. It's just sort of day by day and make sure I'm making the best decision not just for me but for the club as well."
Anderson didn't rule out the possibility of returning to make just a singular farewell appearance for the county.
"It's always been something that I've thought about, playing for Lancashire again," Anderson added.
"I think I owe a lot to the club for what they did for me growing up, bringing me on and turning me into a really good bowler.
"And then, since I've had a central contract, you don't play too much for your county, so whenever I had gone back to play I always try to have an impact. To play again would be really special."
