He will now be part of the first set of fast bowlers (Set 6), which currently has seven fast bowlers and will be tendered on day one.
ESPNcricinfo understands that Archer and his representatives have held discussions with the ECB and BCCI this week to seek clarity on the implications if he is not included in the shortlist. Archer has a central contract with the ECB until the end of September, giving the ECB control over his workload.
Spending April and May in the IPL will be much more difficult for Archer and will rule out the possibility of him playing for Sussex in the early stages of the County Championship season. The ECB blocked Archer from participating in last year’s auction to avoid an injury scare, but doing so this year would have ruled him out of the tournament until 2027 at the earliest.
The IPL has introduced a new rule for this auction cycle, stipulating that players who have previously played in the league but did not register for the larger auction will not be able to register for the subsequent mini-auction. According to a separate rule, any player who signs a contract at an auction but then withdraws without a valid reason will be banned from playing for two years.
Archer, 29, returned this summer after a lengthy injury layoff and featured in England’s white-ball series against Pakistan, Australia and West Indies and the T20 World Cup. His workload was closely managed by the medical staff but he was able to play all three ODIs in the Caribbean earlier this month.
In the 2022 mega auction, Mumbai Indians spent INR 8 crore (about $1.06 million at the time) on Archer despite him having just undergone elbow surgery and not being fit to play that season. He played five matches for MI in 2023, taking two wickets, before another elbow problem saw his season end prematurely.
Archer was adjudged the MVP of the most recent entire IPL season, taking 20 wickets for Rajasthan Royals in the 2020 edition in the UAE. In total, he has taken 48 wickets in 40 appearances in his IPL career.
