Ben Stokes signs new two-year central contract with England as Jos Buttler also extends his deal until 2026 – as captaincy duo are rewarded for their ‘commitment’ to the national side

Ben Stokes has signed a new two-year central contract while England’s other captain Jos Buttler has also extended his terms with the ECB until September 2026.

Stokes, who on Wednesday revealed that his house had been burgled with his family inside while he was representing his country in a Test match in Pakistan, had previously signed a 12-month deal that expired last month.

In addition to the 33-year-old, current Test players Jamie Smith, Shoaib Bashir and Olly Stone have signed one-year deals along with multi-format duo Will Jacks and Phil Salt.

Gus Atkinson and Jack Leach have agreed another two and one year deals respectively.

Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow, who has not been selected in any England squads since the Twenty20 World Cup in midsummer, still has a year of his deal to run.

Jos Buttler has also extended his terms with the ECB until September 2026

Recently-capped pair Jacob Bethell and Josh Hull have agreed England development contracts in which a player’s county salary is topped up by 25%. The governing body then pay 75% of the new amount, providing the county with a saving on their wage bill.

‘These contracts reward the players we believe will play an important role for our England men’s teams. Both our captains, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, have signed two-year central contracts that showcase the commitment of all the players to prioritise playing for their country,’ said Rob Key, England’s managing director.

However, the news coincided with England’s leading white-ball cricketers being snubbed by Indian Premier League franchises for next season – not a single one was retained ahead of the upcoming mega auction.

Buttler, 34, has been with Rajasthan Royals for six years and was leading scorer in the competition in 2022, but – with teams only allowed to keep six of their squad – has been overlooked.

Only 11 overseas players were re-signed by the 10 franchises, meaning that even Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc – at £2.3million, the most expensive recruit ever when he was purchased earlier this year – was dumped.

Previous most-costly player Sam Curran – a £1.85million purchase for Punjab in 2023 – plus those with previous IPL success such as Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Bairstow and Jofra Archer must now enter into the auction if they want to feature in 2025.

However, English players will be wary of a new rule imposed by IPL bosses that states that any player who is selected at an auction, but pulls out before the start of the season will be banned for up to two years.

There will be exemptions for injuries or medical conditions, but it has been introduced to stop cases of players withdrawing to prioritise their international ambitions as Harry Brook, Mark Wood and Atkinson have done in recent times.