IPL 2024 | Ben Stokes to miss entire season for CSK 'to manage his workload and fitness'
England's Test captain Ben Stoke has made himself unavailable for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League amidst a hectic international schedule. The all-rounder featured in just two games in the previous season for Chennai Super Kings before his chronic knee injury flared up.
Ben Stokes was acquired by CSK in the 2023 auction for a franchise record fee of INR 16.25 crore, making him the third-most expensive player in the history of the competition. The veteran featured in the starting line-up for the first two games of the latest season but disappointed with the bat while bowling just one over which led to him being dropped, with head coach Stephen Fleming stating they were waiting for him to be "100% ready."
Stokes has operated as a specialist batter for England since the troubles presented by his knee mounted during a tour of New Zealand in February and recently finished as the second highest run0getter for his country at the World Cup with 304 at an average of 50.66 despite missing the first three games with a hip niggle. The 32-year-old had stated he would undergo knee surgery following the tournament with an aim to be ready for the five-match Test series in India in early 2024.
"England Test captain, all-rounder Ben Stokes has made himself unavailable for IPL 2024 to manage his workload and fitness. Stokes, 32, became a part of the Super Kings ahead of the successful IPL 2023. He recently participated 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.
Super Kings are required to finalize their retentions by November 26 ahead of the auction in Dubai on December 16 with their statement indicating no intentions of releasing the star all-rounder in order to increase their purse by a hefty amount. Notably, Stokes is expected to feature for England at the ICC World T20 2024 after playing a pivotal role in their title-winning run in the 2022 edition, meaning he would head into the tournament with potentially just four T20Is for preparation as things stand.
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