"I want to play..." - USA Star Batter Aaron Jones Eager to Join IPL

Aaron Jones, the powerful hitter for the USA, has repeatedly stated his desire to play in the Indian Premier League, the largest T20 tournament in the world. During the 2024 T20 World Cup, Aaron Jones' spectacular power hitting stole the show. "I want to play in the IPL soon," the right-handed hitter wrote on social media after making waves with his undefeated 94 against Canada in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Jones has even demonstrated his leadership abilities by captaining the USA National Cricket Team while regular captain Monank Patel was not there. Last year, even the American cricket player paid 30 lakhs to register for the IPL mega-auction. Additionally, Jones played a key role in leading the Saint Lucia Kings to their first-ever Caribbean Premier League (CPL) championship in 2024. He returned the team's faith with a knock of 48* in the final, guiding them out of a crisis to a spectacular victory, even though he was out for the majority of the tournament. 

Aaron Jones Sets Sights on IPL:

I want to play in the IPL soon ⏳🙏🏾

— Aaron Jones (@Macca_Jones) April 15, 2025

Jones was left off the final roster of athletes chosen for the mega-auction, though. The 30-year-old, who also holds a Barbados passport, was aiming to obtain an IPL pass after being selected as a local player by the St. Lucia Kings in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Since the St. Lucia Kings are actually owned by the Punjab Kings of the Indian Premier League, there is a chance that he will be given a shot in the event. This is in addition to the fact that he participated in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean last year.

Interestingly, other American celebrities like Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar, and Unmukt Chand were listed but not sold. His dream might just be a season away, as the IPL is becoming more welcoming to players from Associate nations.

Jones was omitted from the USA team for the World Cup League 2 tri-series earlier in 2024, allegedly because of disagreements with USA Cricket on his choice to participate in the CPL rather than tour Namibia. However, that decision was probably made plain by his outstanding performance for the Saint Lucia Kings.

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