Ben Stokes unlikely to get ECB clearance for MLC and PSL deals
Ben Stokes is unlikely to be allowed to play franchise cricket in the United States or Pakistan next summer, even though his England career is over.
The 35-year-old former England captain retired from international cricket in June 2026. His central contract is due to be cancelled at the end of September 2026, but the England and Wales Cricket Board can still decide where he plays The Guardian.
Stokes has held discussions with franchises in Major League Cricket (MLC) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) about joining them next season. Both are T20 leagues, the short, three-hour version of cricket where teams sign star players for a few weeks at a time.
The sticking point is paperwork. Any player registered in England needs a No-Objection Certificate, known as an NOC, which is a formal permission slip from the ECB to play in an overseas league. The ECB is reluctant to provide one while Stokes remains registered with Durham, his county side in the north-east of England.
ECB policy is normally to refuse an NOC when the overseas tournament clashes with a domestic competition the player is contracted for. The one regular exception is the Indian Premier League (IPL), which has its own window. Updated regulations published in November 2024 gave the Board power to turn down a request from a domestic-registered player without an England contract if the overseas event overlaps the English season in part or in full.
The rules also allow the ECB to refuse clearance if it believes releasing the player could harm the predictability, stability and consistency of its own competitions The Guardian.
That matters because MLC has been provisionally scheduled for June and July next year. Those months sit in the middle of the County Championship, England's domestic long-form league played over four days across the summer.
Durham are central to the story. Stokes played a key part in their promotion from Division Two in the latter half of this summer. His stated priority is to help them challenge for the Championship title next season.
To get around the clash, Durham have discussed offering Stokes short-term deals covering the start and end of the Championship season. That would leave him technically a free agent during the MLC window. Under ECB regulations, the shortest permitted contract length is 21 days.
A return to India is not a simple alternative either. Overseas players who have played in the IPL before must enter the mega-auction held once every three years, or else sit out the next two smaller auctions. Stokes did not register for the 2025 mega-auction because of England commitments, which leaves him unavailable for the IPL until 2028.
His retirement followed a disrupted June. Stokes was stood down from the second Test against New Zealand and was in line to return for Durham, according to ESPNcricinfo. He was then withdrawn from the rest of Durham's Championship match against Northamptonshire at the ECB's request, the county confirmed Durham Cricket. He later told his England teammates in the Trent Bridge dressing room of his decision to retire from international cricket.
For fans, this means the next chapter is not settled. Stokes wants county success with Durham and short T20 stints abroad. The ECB holds the pen on the second half of that plan.
