Former England cricketer and a pace bowler James Anderson surprised the followers of cricket by offering himself in the upcoming mega auction for the next season of Indian Premier League (IPL), a cash-rich T20 tournament where he never participated.

Anderson, who retired from international cricket at the age of 42 in July this year, will be available for bidding at base price Rs. 1.25 crore in the auction for IPL 2025.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4  podcast, Anderson revealed he felt he has more to give to cricket and participating in IPL will help him grow his knowledge of the sport.

Anderson said, "There is still definitely something in me that thinks like I can still play. I have never done the IPL, I have never experienced it and I think for a number of reasons I feel like I have more to give as a player."

"I have done a little bit of coaching since I finished in the summer. I have been around the England team doing a bit of mentoring or whatever you like to call it."

"I just think opening my eyes to something like that and experiencing it, sort of might help me grow my knowledge of the game and help further down the line," he added.

Anderson hasn't played a T20 match since 2014. He has never participated in any global T20 franchise league.

Anderson has 704 wickets in 188 Test matches and 269 scalps in 194 One Day Internationals under his belt.

Meanwhile, another English pace bowler Jofra Archer too registered for the mega auction.

The 29-year-old has made a comeback from his injury that had kept him out of cricket for long.

He is hoping to play the upcoming series against India in the summer of 2025.

England cricket captain Ben Stokes is likely to face a ban by the Indian cricket board BCCI after he decided to not register for the IPL 2025.

Stokes doesn't feature in the list of 52 English players who have registered for the IPL 2025 auction, which will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25.

As per the new IPL rules, an overseas player, who fails to register for the auction, will be barred from participating in the T20 tournament the following season.

Stokes, who had opted out of 2022 mega auction, was roped in by Chennai Super Kings in 2023 through a mini auction.