Ben Stokes won't play in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Now, he has also been released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) while the CSK management expressed their support for Stokes's decision.
He plans to undergo knee surgery and aims for a complete recovery before England's extensive Test series in India. Stokes's contribution to CSK was minimal in their victorious 2023 season, limited to two matches with a modest performance.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has speculated that CSK would have likely not retained Stokes even if he had been available for the IPL 2024, considering his injury concerns. Chopra also doubted any other franchise's willingness to invest ₹16.25 crores in Stokes, given his recent fitness issues.
Also Read: IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya back to Mumbai Indians; check who’ll captain Gujarat Titans now
“Ben Stokes has said that he won't play in the IPL. Were Chennai going to retain him? That's a big question. In my opinion, they weren't going to do so. Would any other team have bought him for 16.25 crores? My two cents - it was not going to happen," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Stokes's absence, along with Ambati Rayudu's retirement, frees up a significant amount of CSK's budget. Rayudu's departure from the game came after the 2023 season. This financial liberation provides CSK with a chance to strategise anew for the upcoming season.
Also Read: IPL 2024 Retentions: Full list of players retained, released by all the 10 franchises
CSK now left with ₹31.4 crore
CSK also released several other players, including New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson and South Africa's Dwaine Pretorius. South African Sisanda Magala and domestic players Bhagath Varma, Subhranshu Senapati, and Akash Singh were also let go. This move leaves CSK with a budget of ₹31.4 crore for the 2024 season.
Teams had the November 26 deadline to announce their retained and released cricket players. However, they can still trade players until December 12. The player auction for the 2024 season is set for December 19 in Dubai.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and sports. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer.
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Published: 27 Nov 2023, 09:44 AM IST
