CSK will now be without their most expensive acquisition in the history of the tournament.
Chennai Super Kings have been dealt a major setback ahead of the upcoming season, as their star all-rounder, Ben Stokes, has made the decision to withdraw from IPL 2024 in order to manage his workload and maintain his fitness. The franchise fully supports his choice. This news comes at a crucial time for CSK, as they were deliberating on Stokes’ future with the team due to his knee-related issues, which will require surgery. As a result, CSK will now be without their most expensive acquisition in the history of the tournament.
Stokes, who was purchased for a staggering INR 16.25 crore (approximately US$ 1.98 million) prior to IPL 2023, had a limited impact for CSK, playing only two matches. He scored a mere 15 runs and bowled just one over. Due to his persistent knee troubles, Stokes was primarily utilized as a specialist batsman, but unfortunately, he failed to make a significant contribution during the franchise’s highly successful campaign.
While Stokes had been grappling with his knee issue for some time, it worsened during the New Zealand series in February of last year. CSK coach Stephen Fleming openly acknowledged the team’s decision to wait for Stokes to attain full fitness before assigning him bowling duties.
After a disappointing performance in ODI World Cup in India, England is determined to reclaim their title in the upcoming ICC World T20 tournament. Despite initially retiring from the ODI World Cup, Stokes’ return failed to ignite the same level of inspiration he provided during the 2019 edition of the ICC event. As a result, England’s team finished in seventh place during the round-robin phase of the India World Cup, managing only three victories.
“I’ve put a lot of hard work in away from cricket to give myself the best chance of a quicker recovery, and with Christmas and everything coming up, the main thing for me is getting this knee right and being ready and raring to go for that Test series in India,” Stokes had said after England’s last game at the World Cup.
Meanwhile, the highly anticipated IPL 2024 mini-auction is scheduled to take place on December 19 in Dubai.
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