Ben Stokes to miss next year’s IPL, will focus on Test series against India

 Ben Stokes recently took part in the ODI World Cup 2023, which he came out of retirement for.

“The Chennai Super Kings management is supportive of Ben in his decision to manage his workload with England playing a 5-Test series in India before the IPL and then the T20 World Cup in June 2024,” CSK said in a statement.

The 32-year-old, who was picked by CSK for a whopping ₹16.25 crore in the last mini-auction, could participate in only two games in 2023 after suffering a toe injury. He played purely as a batter for England in the ongoing ODI World Cup.

Ben Stokes is set to undergo surgery to address his knee as he aims to regain fitness for the upcoming Test series against India, beginning January 24.

England will play five Tests in India with the final match scheduled to be held from March 7 to 11. Next year’s IPL is likely to be held from last week of March till end of May.

“Considering that the T20 World Cup is slated in the West Indies and the United States from June 4 to June 30, the hectic itinerary could mean that Stokes will find it very difficult to stay in India for better part of the first five months of the year,” an IPL source in the know of things told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Given the hectic line-up of events, Stokes in any case was unlikely to play full IPL. IPL 2024 auction is scheduled for December 19 in Dubai and the ten teams will have to submit the lists of players they are retaining and releasing by November 26.

In case Stokes gets the release, CSK will have ₹16.25 crores freed for the auction and they could go whole hog for either spin bowling all-rounder Rachin Ravindra or pace bowling all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai of Afghanistan.

With agency inputs

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Updated: 23 Nov 2023, 05:50 PM IST