Christchurch: After spending quite some time by his ailing father in Christchurch, star all-rounder Ben Stokes is all set to join the Rajasthan Royals squad in UAE on Sunday (October 4) for the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The allrounder had earlier posted images of him with his family on Instagram with the caption: ‘goodbyes never get easier’. As per the IPL rules related to the COVID-19 protocols, Stokes will have to undergo six days of quarantine on arrival in the UAE and is likely to be available for the match against Delhi Capitals on October 14.
He might be available for Rajasthan’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on October 11 too, but it might be too soon to field him straightaway. The left-handed batsman has to fly to New Zealand to be with his father who got diagnosed with brain cancer.
Stoked. 😁✈️#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | @benstokes38 pic.twitter.com/pcAvyIcaaF
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) October 3, 2020
In the middle of the Test series against Pakistan in August, he left for Christchurch to be with his family as a support. Firstly, reports indicated that he would miss the first part of the tournament and that the franchise would ‘wait’ for his call before taking the next step.
Stokes has been playing for the Royals since 2018. After turning for now-discontinued team Rising Pune Supergiant’s run to the final in 2017, he was picked up by the Royals. So far, he has scored 319 runs and picked up 14 wickets for the Royals.
Since last summer, he has been in a startling form as he pushed England to their first-ever World Cup victory and then helped them draw the Ashes series.
