After Joe Root, star all-rounder Ben Stokes pulls out of the IPL auction

After England's Test skipper Joe Root opted out of the IPL mega auction, his deputy Ben Stokes has followed suit. The star all-rounder is likely to decline the opportunity to play in this year's IPL.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, Root and Stokes are instead focused to prepare for the first Test of their home summer against New Zealand by playing in the County Championship.

After England's 4-0 humiliation in the Ashes series vs Australia, Root had said that he will keep sacrificing as much as he can because he cares so much about Test cricket in England and trying to get the team to where they want to be.

Ben Stokes has always been someone who caught eyeballs in the IPL auction and since the league will be a 10-team affair from this year, Stokes was expected to trigger a bidding war this time as well.

Also read: 'I care so much for Test cricket': Joe Root sacrifices opportunity to enter IPL mega auction