Former England captain Ben Stokes is reportedly on course for a dispute with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as the governing body is unlikely to grant him permission to participate in overseas franchise competitions next summer.
Stokes is understood to have held discussions with franchises in the United States' Major League Cricket (MLC) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) regarding joining them next season. However, the ECB is reportedly reluctant to issue the necessary No-Objection Certificate (NOC) while he remains registered with Durham.
Although Stokes' central contract is set to be cancelled at the end of this month following his international retirement in June, the ECB will still exert influence over his career through its control of NOCs, which are required for playing overseas. The ECB's updated regulations from November 2024 allow it to reject NOC requests from non-England-contracted domestic-registered players if an overseas tournament clashes with the domestic season or could compromise ECB competitions.
Stokes' priority is reportedly to help Durham in the County Championship, but he is also keen to explore options in the MLC, provisionally scheduled for June and July next year. This would not be possible under current ECB regulations, with the governing body reportedly reluctant to set a precedent by making an exception for Stokes.
Durham is reportedly sympathetic to Stokes' position and has discussed offering him short-term contracts to allow him to be a free agent during the MLC. Additionally, Stokes appears unlikely to be available for the Indian Premier League (IPL) until 2028 due to a new rule requiring overseas players who have previously played in the competition to register for the triennial mega-auction, which he missed in 2025.