Ben Stokes in major row with ECB months after England retirement
Former England Test captain Ben Stokes is set to become embroiled in a row with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), as the body is unlikely to allow him to play in overseas franchise competitions in 2027.
Since making the decision to retire from international cricket during the third Test against New Zealand earlier this summer, Stokes has been playing for his county, Durham.
However, now that he no longer captains England, he has the freedom to choose when he plays and is open to the idea of participating in various lucrative franchise leagues.
Ben Stokes handed major franchise league dilemma
As per The Guardian, Stokes is said to have held discussions with franchises in the United States’ Major League Cricket (MLC) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) about representing them in 2027.
But the ECB is reluctant to provide him with a no-objection certificate (NOC), which he will need to play for a franchise while remaining a registered player with Durham.
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Stokes’ ECB central contract will be cancelled at the end of September.
The ECB usually makes an exception for those wanting to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but the governing body’s stance on players competing in other tournaments that clash with domestic competitions they are contractually obliged to feature in could result in a rejection.
The ECB has made it clear that it has the power to reject NOC requests from players who are not contracted to England during the domestic season.
The Guardian reports: “In updated regulations published in November 2024, the ECB gave itself powers to reject an NOC request from non England-contracted domestic-registered players if the overseas tournament ‘is scheduled to take place (in part or in full) during the season,’ or granting an NOC ‘may compromise the predictability, stability and consistency of the ECB competitions’.”
Durham are said to understand Stokes’ desire to play in franchise competitions, while his priority remains winning the County Championship after helping the team gain promotion from Division Two this season.
Stokes is keen to play in the MLC, which is scheduled for June and July 2027, although, as per ECB regulations, this would not be possible.
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The ECB has previously rejected NOC requests from England players.
How could Ben Stokes bypass ECB rules?
Durham have already discussed offering Stokes a series of short-term deals to circumvent the issue, allowing the all-rounder to be a free agent during the MLC. ECB regulations allow contracts as short as 21 days in length.
But that’s not all, as Stokes may be blocked from playing in the IPL.
The Guardian explained: “Stokes appears unlikely to be available for the IPL either, due to a new rule which stipulates that overseas players who have played in the competition previously must register for the mega-auction that takes place once every three years, or miss the subsequent two mini-auctions.
“Stokes did not register for the 2025 IPL mega-auction due to his England commitments so will not be available until 2028, which made next year’s PSL an attractive option.”
The former England skipper has already penned a T20 franchise deal to play for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash this winter.
Former England stars Alex Hales and Jason Roy previously walked away from their counties to pursue careers in franchise cricket.
Topics: Ben Stokes, Cricket
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