Ben Stokes. Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Rajasthan Royals star player Ben Stokes has finally provided his fitness update to all the fans after he suffered an index finger injury in the first game of IPL 2021, which ruled him out of the tournament. The all-rounder admitted that it was quite tough to say goodbye to everyone at the franchise so early into the season. However, the toughest part for Stokes was to get ready to undergo a surgery as it was feared that he will be out for a minimum of three months, also putting his participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup in doubt.
In his column for 'Daily Mirror', the 29-year-old has revealed when he is expecting to make a comeback to competitive cricket and also clarified if he will be available for IPL 2021 (if it resumes later this year) or not.
Stokes reveals his future plans in Indian Premier League
The England all-rounder clarified that he should be fit enough to play competitive cricket by eight-nine weeks. However, he added that he was not sure about participating in IPL this year because of England's busy international calendar. Reflecting on the same, he stated, "We don't know if or when the tournament (IPL 2021) will be rearranged but as the ECB have said it could be difficult for the England boys to have a free gap."
Also Read: England players likely to miss remainder of IPL 2021 season
Will RR retain the England all-rounder for next season?
While Stokes might be absent for his franchise this year, the 29-year-old assured that he is eager to take part at some point in time in the future. With a mega auction coming up ahead of next season, the Men in Pink will surely want to have one of the best all-rounders in world cricket within their ranks. However, Stokes' recent injury concerns might put some doubts in the think-tank of Rajasthan Royals who had bought him for INR 12.5 crore in 2018.
All the franchises are expected to be given a maximum limit of only three capped players to be retained ahead of the mega-auction. With Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer also in the squad, it will be really interesting if RR will retain Ben Stokes or put him up in the auction pool.