Ben Stokes ruled out of IPL 2021 with a finger injury
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Rajasthan Royals and England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in what has been termed as a suspected broken hand.
Rajasthan Royals and England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in what has been termed as a finger injury.
Stokes sustained the injury during Rajasthan Royals’ opening match against Punjab Kings on Monday while taking a catch to get the wicket of Chris Gayle. After dropping a catch earlier in the match against PBKS, Stokes ran hard from long-on and dived forward in a bid to complete the catch to dismiss Gayle. However, he immediately felt discomfort in his left hand.
However, the all-rounder continued to play the match and even came to open the ball but ended up with a three-ball duck. Rajasthan Royals fell five-run short in their 222-run chase.
According to Independent, Stokes will remain in India for a week and talks have started between the ECB and Rajasthan Royals on managing the injury. Stokes will have an X-Ray in India on Thursday to know how much damage he has taken before the ECB take over the planning of the recovery.
Official statement by Rajasthan Royals on Ben Stokes:
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.
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. 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.
ECB would be scratching their heads over the fitness of ace all-rounder before a jam-packed nine months to follow. After playing New Zealand, England will host five Tests against India and will then proceed for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. Stokes is key to England’s team across formats and the injury will come as a huge blow to the reigning 50-over world champions.