Christchurch: Rajasthan Royals is likely to miss their star all-rounder Ben Stokes, at least in the first part of IPL 2020. Stokes is currently in New Zealand with his father Ged Stokes, a former Kiwi rugby player who is diagnosed with brain cancer.
Stokes left for Christchurch after the first Test against Pakistan last month after his father was diagnosed. “As per quarantine rules in New Zealand, Ben has just completed his 14-day isolation period after reaching New Zealand. Now, he will be meeting his father and obviously he would like to spend some quiet time with his family in this time of crisis,” a source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
Opens drafts…👇
📂 #IPL2020
└📁 Fixtures
└🚨 BREAKING NEWS#HallaBol | #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/dlq7NgwEhG— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) September 6, 2020
It is well understood that Rajasthan Royals will not call Stokes in such a difficult time, else they will wait for him to arrive. They had signed Stokes for INR 12.5 crore ahead of IPL 2018.
“It is only logical that if he has just completed his quarantine, he would not be available for the first part of the IPL and that is completely understandable. The franchise will not even call Ben as this is not a priority at the moment. Let him spend quality time family time and any discussions on his availability can happen only after that,” the source added.
The 29-year-old played in 67 Tests, 95 ODIs and 26 T20Is and has scored 7,415 runs and picked up 242 wickets He played a crucial role in England winning their maiden World Cup. Recently, Stokes single-handedly won England a Test match against the West Indies, scoring 254 runs and picking 3 wickets.
“I didn’t sleep for a week and my head wasn’t really in it,” Stokes had said to Weekend Herald, ‘leaving was the right choice from a mental point of view’.
