England star Ben Stokes, who is plying his trade for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is set to return home after the last league game against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday afternoon in Delhi.
Stokes, an INR 16.25 crore signing at the IPL 2023 mini-auction, played only two games for CSK, making 7 and 8 and conceding 18 runs in his only over with the ball.
Despite holding the advantageous second position in the points table, CSK head coach, Stephen Fleming, acknowledged that bowling currently presents a minor challenge for Stokes and the English cricketer is primarily included in the team as batting cover. Following their defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the Super Kings are unlikely to make significant alterations in their playing XI against DC.
“Ben’s ability to bowl overs at the moment is still a bit of a challenge, but he’s there as that batting cover,” Fleming said in the post-match interview. “But with Moeen [Ali] bowling well in good conditions – we go to Delhi, which has been turning – we think the balance of the side has been right.
“And look, we’re second on the table, so it’s not our style to chop and change just because we’ve had a loss where things didn’t go our way. We won’t do that. We might tinker with it but we’re very focused on getting the right team for Delhi,” added Fleming.
Stokes was forced to sit on the bench earlier due to his toe injury. The southpaw got injured during CSK’s training session ahead of their third match of the season.
“Chennai Super Kings cricketer Ben Stokes is nursing a minor toe injury which forced him out of the match against Mumbai Indians,” CSK had said in a press release.
Struggling with fitness issues, the England Test captain has now decided to give himself enough time to prepare for Ashes, which will begin in mid-June.
