IPL auction: Ben Stokes to skip IPL 2024 to manage his workload and fitness

England Test captain Ben Stokes, who was bought by the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL auction last year for a whopping 16.25 crore rupees, will not feature in the next season of the Indian Premier League in 2024.

Chennai Super Kings announced in a press release today (November 23) that Stokes has made himself unavailable for IPL 2024 to manage his workload and fitness.

CSK added that they support Stokes’ decision: “The Chennai Super Kings management is supportive of Ben in his decision to manage his workload with England playing a 5-Test series in India before the IPL and then the T20 World Cup in June 2024.”

Stokes had come out of ODI retirement two months back to make himself available for England for the 2023 World Cup. However, a hip injury meant he missed the first three matches for his team.

In a disappointing campaign for England, Stokes made 304 runs from six innings at an average of 50.7 with one hundred and two fifties. He didn’t, however, play a part with the ball.

Nursing a chronic knee issue, Stokes said that he will undergo a surgery on his left knee after the World Cup to get back to full fitness ahead of the India tour in January next year, where England are scheduled to play five Test matches.

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— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) November 23, 2023

IPL 2024 will immediately follow the India-England Test series, which in turn, will be followed by the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. Keeping the hectic schedule in mind, Stokes has pulled out of the IPL a couple of weeks ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, slated to take place on December 19.

Although Stokes was part of a winning squad with CSK last season, he didn’t have much of a part to play. He featured in just two games and made 15 runs. The one over he bowled went for 18 runs.

CSK preferred playing Devon Conway, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, and Moeen Ali as their four overseas players instead.