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Defending Indian Premier League champions, Chennai Super Kings, are set to release England all-rounder Ben Stokes in the upcoming IPL 2024 auction in December. Stokes has been one of the best players in the world but his long and repetitive injury history has put a massive question on his availability.
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Stokes' fitness issues were evident in the previous IPL as the Englishman played only two games where he only scored 15 runs while not bowling a single over in the tournament. Further, Ben Stokes will undergo surgery on his left knee which is set to take two months for recovery. Hence, as per Cricbuzz, the CSK management isn't willing to take a chance on the all-rounder this season.
Further in the report, Cricbuzz also reveals that CSK hasn't officially started conversations with Stokes and his team. The report also included a quote from a CSK official, who stated, "We would not consider releasing Stokes if he could be available because he is a big match player, and we hold him in the highest regard. But if he can't make it to the season, we will have blocked Rs 16 crore with which we could acquire some quality players."
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Ahead of the player auction, IPL teams have a trade window which will close on November 19. Similarly, the franchises are required to announce the lists of retained and released players by November 26. The auction is scheduled to be held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on December 19.
