Ben Stokes, Rajasthan Royals all-rounder, has been ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 with a broken finger. Rajasthan Royals took to Twitter to announce the news.
Ben Stokes was a key member of Rajasthan Royals and was expected to deliver the goods. He was a part of England’s long tour of India across all three formats.
Ben Stokes Injured A Finger On His Left Hand While Fielding Against Punjab Kings Which Ruled Him Out Of The Remainder Of IPL 2021
In the eight matches he played during IPL 2020, he contributed by scoring 285 runs averaging 40.71, including an innings of 107 not out, but only picked two wickets. Ben Stokes scored 203 runs in 4 Tests, 135 runs in 3 ODIs, and 84 runs in 5 T20Is in the India tour. He also picked 12 scalps across formats.
“Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes injured a finger on his left hand while fielding during the team’s match against Punjab Kings on 12 April 2021 in Mumbai.
“Subsequent investigations revealed that he sustained a broken finger, which will, unfortunately, rule him out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2021 season,” Rajasthan Royals said in an official statement.
“Everyone at Rajasthan Royals absolutely admires Ben for being such a huge asset and a valuable member of the Royals family, both on and off the field, and wishes him a speedy recovery,” the statement further read.
The allrounder sustained the injury during the Royals’ opening game, against the Punjab Kings, when he ran in from long-on and dived forward to take Chris Gayle’s catch in the tenth over of the Kings’ innings.
Rajasthan Royals Will Look For Ben Stokes Replacement
Rajasthan Royals also announced that Ben Stokes has decided to stay with the team and they will soon look for a replacement for the England all-rounder.
“We are delighted that Ben would like to stay with the group to provide his valued support and inputs off the field. In the meantime, we will be reviewing potential replacement options for the remainder of the season,” the official statement read.
Ben Stokes bowled just one over against Punjab Kings on Monday and was looking in a bit of discomfort after he completed a low diving catch to dismiss Punjab Kings’ Chris Gayle. The 29-year-old carried on playing but did not bowl in the match afterward. With the bat, Ben Stokes lasted for just three deliveries before he top-edged one that landed in the hands of Mohammed Shami.
He subsequently came out to open the innings for the Rajasthan Royals but lasted only three balls before top-edging a pull back to the bowler Mohammed Shami to be out for a duck. The Royals lost the match by four runs.
Ben Stokes’ injury could disrupt the Royals’ plans significantly, especially because they are already without a first-choice player in Jofra Archer, who is recuperating and is expected to miss at least the first four games of the season.
Both Jos Buttler and Chris Morris are first-choice picks, and for the other two slots, they have to choose from among Liam Livingstone, David Miller, Mustafizur Rahman, and Andrew Tye. Devon Conway, Thisara Perera, Adil Rashid, Glenn Phillips, and Marnus Labuschagne are the overseas choices for his replacement.