Ben Stokes, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder, played the first two games in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) but has been sidelined ever since.
CSK spent Rs 16.5 crore in the auction in December for the England international but the player has failed to create an impression so far.
In fact, Stokes has bowled just one over in those two games, against Lucknow Super Giants, and looked ill at ease in his follow-through.
He has been suffering an injury and has missed a handful of games in the IPL, but when will he play for CSK?
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Ben Stokes injury news
Stokes injured his toe during training ahead of the match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 8.
“Chennai Super Kings cricketer Ben Stokes is nursing a minor toe injury which forced him out of the match against Mumbai Indians. Stokes played Chennai Super Kings’ first two matches of IPL 2023 before injuring his toe during training ahead of the third game, which the Super Kings won by seven wickets,” a statement from CSK read.
Stokes is also apparently nursing a knee injury which has prevented him from bowling this IPL.
He reportedly returned to the nets ahead of CSK’s match with Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 21, but following that clash coach Stephen Fleming confirmed he would be out for at least another week.
“He had another little setback yesterday, so he's probably a few days or a week away at least," former New Zealand captain Fleming told a media conference.
"This is a challenge. Now the team is playing well. The first thing is him being fit and then, if we have a headache around selection...
"Our priority is getting Ben fit and ready to play, that's what we are concentrating on.
"At the moment, he's not quite ready. But as soon as he is, we'll worry about the next part, which is how the team works."
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How many games has Ben Stokes missed?
Stokes has missed nine IPL matches in total so far.
He initially sat out against Mumbai Indians, then Rajasthan Royals on April 12 and also against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 17.
Fleming’s recent fitness update came after his absence on April 21 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad match.
He was also missing for the game against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 23 and again for the 32-run defeat against RR on April 27, as well as the defeat to Punjab Kings on April 30.
There was hopes that Stokes might feature against LSG on May 3rd but he didn't make the lineup for a match that was called off due to the rain, and he also missed the clash with Mumbai Indians on May 6.
