The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is drawing nearer, and while anticipation for the event grows, one of the most successful teams in IPL history, Chennai Super Kings, has already taken a hit. Ben Stokes, an English all-rounder signed by CSK in December, recently stated that he will not be playing for CSK near the end of the competition. In order to get ready for the Test match against Ireland that will precede the Ashes series, Stokes will be returning home.
The final of the competition will take place on May 28, which is just four days before England’s Test match against Ireland, according to the IPL schedule, which was recently released. Stokes’ absence might be a major setback for CSK, especially toward the end of the competition. Ben Stokes, who is considered as one of the best all-rounders in world cricket and has been a crucial member of England for a number of years, will be aiming to have the same type of impact with CSK when the competition begins.
Ben Stokes also discussed his choice to forego participating in the IPL near the end in order to be eligible for England. Stokes was cited by ESPNcricinfo as stating, “Yeah, I’ll play; I’ll be making sure that I give myself enough time to get back and play that [Ireland] game.”
“I’ll probably get around to the individuals and ask them what they want to be ready for the Ashes, because those five games are obviously the big ones of the summer, and you’ve got to think about what the lads want. But what if something were 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 whether we really need to play that one. Because, obviously, I’m right in saying that series is bigger than that game against Ireland,” Stokes concluded.