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Chennai Super Kings (CSK)’s most expensive buy in the auction, England all-rounder Ben Stokes is doubtful for the high voltage clash against Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on April 8.
As per a report by Indian Express, Stokes suffered pain in the heel after the practice session on the eve of big match. He has been advised 10 days of rest as well.
The CSK medical team will take a final call few hours before the match. However, he is likely to skip the game to avoid risking getting sidelined for a longer period.
In Stokes' absence, Proteas bowling all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius may get a chance to play against five-time IPL champions. In the previous season, Pretorius took six wickets from six games. His economy rate was unimpressive at 10 runs per over.
Stokes recently recovered from an injury to make his CSK debut. He is yet to make an impact while donning the yellow. Against defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT), he scored seven runs. In the next clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he scored just eight runs. He bowled one over in the high-scoring LSG clash but ended up conceding 18 runs and did not get a chance to bowl again.
Recently, CSK all-rounder Moeen Ali if Stokes can be MS Dhoni's successor as CSK captain to which he replied, “He’s really enjoying himself. CSK is the type of franchise where you come here and you do tend to enjoy yourself and really love playing for this franchise. He’s settled in really well. He’s a big part of the team with his experience.”
The CSK vs MI clash is labelled as El Classico of IPL. Ali compared it to rivarly between two of England's oldest football clubs -- Manchester United and Liverpool.
“This is a game I really look forward to. These are the two most successful franchises and the fan-following is huge and this is one of the biggest games you can play as a cricketer outside of international cricket. In football’s point of view it is like Manchester United playing Liverpool. These are huge games,” he said.
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