IPL will ensure Ben Stokes’ replacement arrives if needed

On September 25, 2017, Stokes made headlines for all the wrong reasons as he was arrested after causing bodily harm following an incident outside a nightclub in Bristol which left a man with a fractured eye socket. Because of the incident, he saw the exit gate from the side and ended up missing the last two matches of the ODI series against West Indies. He was then excluded from the Ashes squad which many called as the reason for England's dismal performance in Australia. In a recent development of the case, the Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that Ben Stokes will appear in the Bristol Court on February 13. But before the hearing, the auction of the 2018 IPL is scheduled to happen on January 27 and 28 in Bengaluru.

Last year, the English all-rounder received a whopping price INR 14.5 crore from Rising Pune Supergiant and he didn’t disappoint at all and ended up becoming the most valuable player by scoring 316 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 142.98 and also grabbed 12 wickets at an average of 26.33. His last season performance caught the eye of the franchises but they were in doubt whether the player will be available throughout the tournament or not. But according to the report in Cricinfo, it is learned that IPL gave them a good news that the team will get a replacement if that kind of situation arises.

"In the event of his partial unavailability due to the court process then he may not be replaced. Player replacements for partial unavailability during the IPL Season are only allowed in relation to player injuries as prescribed by section 6.1 of the 2018-20 IPL Player Regulations."