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Ben Stokes (Source: Twitter)
England Test captain Ben Stokes on Thursday has opted out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 to manage his workload and fitness. The premier all-rounder was acquired by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2023 by a whopping INR 16.25 crore. However, he could not live up to the expectations, participating in just two matches due to a knee ailment.
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The Chennai-based franchise brought in Stokes with high expectations, but in return, he managed to deliver poor scores of eight and seven in both games. The 32-year-old's decision comes in the wake of England's upcoming away Test series against India and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Notably, Stokes has also confirmed that he will undergo surgery to address his knee issues and regain full fitness ahead of the Test series.
"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.
England will be touring India from January 24 to March 11 to play a five-match Test series. Next year's IPL is likely to be held from the last week of March till the end of May. Soon after the 17th edition of the cash-rich league, all nations will line up for the T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by the US and the West Indies.
Meanwhile, there were reports that CSK is planning to release Stokes ahead of the IPL 2024 Player Auction. The event is scheduled for December 19 in Dubai - the first time it will be held outside India - and all teams are required to submit the list of players they retain and release by November 26. With Stokes himself pulling out of the next edition, CSK are more likely to release him.
Here's how fans reacted to Ben Stokes opting out of IPL 2024:
Ben stokes after he Successfully wasted 15cr .. pic.twitter.com/LCKFDNqdeU
— Extraa Cover (@ExtraaaCover) November 23, 2023
ye khelta kam, rest zyada karta
— 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐩𝐚𝐢🥂 (@Oyye_Senpai) November 23, 2023
Bench se acha ghar hi rhe
— Samriddhi Singh♥️ (@Samridd90774225) November 23, 2023
I don’t think any franchise would’ve bought him considering his recent form, he’s out of bowling already and his batting form is also declining, good decision by him by not giving his name for auction
— Naman Rajoria (@rajorianaman) November 23, 2023
Bro returned from retirement just for humiliation 😭
— Innocent Kudi (@excusemebr0) November 23, 2023
He got hurt by CSK release and World Cup loss
— Manu (@virat_facts) November 23, 2023
Accha hua, ni toh phirr se chuna lga deta kisi ko.
— Kunal Yadav (@Kunal_KLR) November 23, 2023
16 crore saved by sreenu mama 🥵🥵
— World Hall of Fun (@WorldHallOfFun) November 23, 2023