With three weeks still to go for IPL, the stage has already light up. After Suresh Raina’s pull out and COVID-19 cases in the Chennai Super Kings camp, the buzz is on an all-time high. Now if reports are to believed, star all-rounder Ben Stokes might give IPL 2020 a skip.
Meanwhile, Stokes has been going through some family issues after his father suffered from brain cancer. The Rajasthan Royals all-rounder is currently in New Zealand to be with his parents in these testing times.
Stokes unlikely to play in IPL 2020
After an excellent series against West Indies, Ben Stokes pulled out of the Pakistan series playing only one game. He also missed the T20I series as he couldn’t sleep for one week during his stint with England.
It was then that he decided to head back home and give all his attention to his family which is dealing with an incredibly hard situation at the moment. Speaking to Weekend Herald, the star all-rounder said he needed mental peace during that time.
“I didn’t sleep for a week and my head wasn’t really in it,” Stokes said. “Leaving was the right choice from a mental point of view,” he added.
As England gear up to face Australia from September 4, the selectors didn’t pick Ben Stokes. While the English and Australian cricketers will miss the first week of IPL due to quarantine, Stokes’ case looks a lot more complicated.
Currently, in New Zealand, the 29-year-old is likely to miss a significant part of IPL which kicks off from September 19. It is likely that Stokes will want to be with his family for the longest period is these times.
However, Rajasthan Royals are yet to comment on the same and are keenly following the developments. They would want the picture to get clear in the coming days so that they can opt for a replacement if needed.
So far, Ben Stokes has played 34 matches scoring 635 runs with the highest score of 103. He also has 26 wickets to his name.