The much anticipated Indian T20 League 2023 is all set to kick-start from 31st March with the Gujarat franchise taking on the Chennai franchise in the season opener. All the franchises strengthened their teams at the auction and are working on strategies to clinch the title.
One of the most successful unit, Chennai haven’t had fruitful seasons in the last couple of years. MS Dhoni could be playing his last season but the inclusion of Ben Stokes will be a massive boost for them. He could take the captaincy duties as well.
However, it has now been learnt that the Englishman could miss the final leg of the Indian T20 League. Stokes has announced that he will not be available for the Chennai franchise during the final stage of the Indian T20 League. The key reason behind his unavailability is Ashes and playing one off Test against Ireland.
Talking to reporters after a humongous victory over New Zealand in the Test fixture, Ben Stokes made it clear regarding his participation in the one-off test against Ireland. He said:
“Yes, I’ll play.” I’ll be making sure that I give myself enough time to get back and play that (Ireland) game.” Stokes said.
This news has come as a shocker for the Chennai fans as the franchise shelled out INR 16.25 crore to secure his services. The player didn’t feature in the previous seasons because of injury and mental health issues.
Ben Stokes stated in an interview that he will ask his countrymen about their preparation plans for the coveted Ashes. He wants to adopt a cautious approach in the buildup to Ashes and stay away from any potential injury.
“I’ll probably get round the individuals and ask them what they want to be ready for for the Ashes, because those five games are obviously the big ones of the summer, and you’ve got to think about what lads want.”
On the other hand, Kyle Jamieson won’t be able to play for the entire season. The New Zealand pacer needs back surgery and can’t join the team in time. It remains interesting to see how the Chennai based outfit will recuperate from these two tough news.
