Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Ben Stokes will leave the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season early to prepare for the test series against Ireland and the Ashes. England will be hosting Ireland for a one-off Test match starting on June 1, just four days after the IPL final. The test will be followed by the 2023 Ashes against Australia, which will begin on June 16.
Ben Stokes was signed by the Chennai Super Kings for a whopping INR 16.25 Crores at the 2023 IPL auction. After missing the last season due to workload management, he expressed to fulfill his commitment to the franchise. However, the IPL schedule seems to have disturbed the all-rounders’ plan. With the Ireland test, just four days after the IPL final, Ben Stokes will miss the end stages of the tournament.
“Yes, I’ll play,” Stokes answered when asked if he will play the Ireland Test as quoted by Espncricinfo. “I’ll be making sure that I give myself enough time to get back and play that (Ireland) game,” he added.
Ben Stokes last played an IPL game during the 2021 season for the Rajasthan Royals. In 43 IPL games, he has scored 920 runs at an average of 25.56 and a strike rate of 134.5. He also has 28 wickets to his name in the tournament. His absence in the end stages of the IPL 2023 season might prove to be a big blow to the Chennai Super Kings.
You’ve got to think about what lads want: Ben Stokes
Along with Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, and Joe Root are the other likely members taking part in the IPL, who will play the Test against Ireland and the Ashes. The England skipper expressed that he will have discussions with the players to decide what they need to do to get ready against Australia. He said, as quoted by Espncricinfo
“I’ll probably get round the individuals and ask them what they want to be ready for for the Ashes, because those five games are obviously the big ones of the summer, and you’ve got to think about what lads want.”
“But what if something was to happen in that game (Ireland) and we lose someone for the Ashes … It’s just one of those where you have to weigh up the options of what the individual person actually wants out of that week, versus do we really need to play that one. Because, obviously, I’m right in saying that series is bigger than that game against Ireland,” he added.
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