The England all-rounder for the Chennai Super Kings, Ben Stokes, has withdrawn from the IPL 2024 in order to manage his workload and fitness. In an official statement posted on their website, the franchise expressed their “support for Ben’s decision.”
However, the Super Kings have not indicated if they will release Stokes.
The deadline for franchises to notify their 2024 season retentions and releases is Sunday, November 26, according to the Indian Premier League. Super Kings will be able to keep Stokes ahead of the IPL 2025 big auction if they choose not to release him. Additionally, Super Kings will be able to use the INR 16.25 they paid for him at the auction the following month if they release him by Sunday.
Stokes had been postponing his knee surgery for some time, but he finally disclosed it at the end of the World Cup. The ECB and Stokes will decide when he can return based on his rehabilitation.
Stokes featured in just two games during the season, hitting 15 runs and bowling just one over. Prior to the 2023 IPL season, he was the Super Kings’ most expensive acquisition ever, having been purchased for INR 16.25 crore (about US$ 1.98 million). This was partially due to the fact that he had to begin the season as a specialist batter due to a left knee ailment. Although the knee ailment has been there for a while, it became worse in February of this year during England’s trip of New Zealand. At that time, Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming had stated that the team would not ask Stokes to bowl until he was “100% ready”.
Stokes was one of England’s better hitters on display during the World Cup in India a few months ago, despite the team’s terrible performance in the competition. Stokes had retired from ODI cricket. After missing the first three matches due batting a hip strain, Stokes played in six of England’s nine matches, finishing second in runs scored behind Dawid Malan. During the World Cup, Stokes did not bowl at all. However, in his six innings, he scored 304 runs, which included two half-centuries and a century. His final scoring sequences were 64 against Australia, 108 against the Netherlands, and 84 against Pakistan. He had an 89.14 strike rate and an average of 50.66.
As things stand, England Test captain Stokes hopes to travel to India for the upcoming five-Test series, which is scheduled to begin on January 25 and end on March 11.
“I’ve put a lot of hard work in away from cricket to give myself the best chance of a quicker recovery and, with Christmas and everything coming up, the main thing for me is getting this knee right and being ready and raring to go for that Test series in India,” Stokes had said following England’s final match at the World Cup in Russia.
