Ben Stokes has become the biggest name to pull out of the IPL, citing the coronavirus situation and also because he has been away from home for four months.
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Ben Stokes has apparently decided to opt out of the IPL 2022. According to a report in the Cricketer website, Stokes has been away from home ever since the tour of Australia. After the Ashes, he was going to tour the Caribbean for five Twenty20 Internationals. Had he played the IPL 2022, he would have been away from home for more than six months. Plus, the coronavirus bio-bubble fatigue has been cited as one of the reasons. England lost the Ashes 0-4 and they only escaped a whitewash due to poor weather and bad light in Sydney.
Apart from Stokes, there are reports that Jofra Archer might not play in IPL 2022 as he has not recovered from the second elbow surgery. It is believed that Archer is out of competitive cricket at least till the end of the 2022 summer. There are also reports that Joe Root has opted out of the IPL. He believes that Test cricket remains his main priority. In the past, Joe Root has entered the auction but has never been bid by any team.
The reported unavailability of Ben Stokes is a big blow for certain franchises He was one of the most expensive overseas players in 2017 when rising Pune Supergiant bought him for Rs 12.5 crore. Stokes was then picked up by Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018 for a big fee. He has scored a couple of centuries in the IPL and has also chipped in with the ball. He missed IPL 2021 after fracturing his finger during the Rajasthan Royals match against Punjab Kings.
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The unavailability of Stokes means that franchises will now have to modify their team compositions. Stokes did not enjoy a good Ashes, managing just an average of 23 in the five Tests. Although he scored a couple of attacking fifties in Sydney, Stokes did not fire on all previous occasions. Plus, a side strain that he suffered in Sydney meant that he could not bowl in helpful conditions in Hobart.
After the end of the West Indies series, Stokes might turn up for a couple of games for his home County of Durham. England will play a total of seven Tests at home this summer. They will begin their ICC World Test Championship against New Zealand. The series, which will involve three Tests, will begin in June. England will then play the remaining one Test against India and then round it off with three Tests against South Africa.
