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England's Test captain Ben Stokes is set to go under the knife as his knee has prevented him from contributing with the ball. Stokes was a no-show in MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) title-winning Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season as he played just two games due to a toe injury. Ahead of the IPL 2024 mini-auction, Stokes is likely to get released by CSK as it will help them go into the bidding war with a heavy purse.
In the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, Stokes was warming the benches for a few games. When he returned, he looked out of touch as England suffered batting collapses often. He returned to form only when England’s chances of reaching the semifinal were squashed. He ended up scoring his maiden World Cup century against the Netherlands in Pune.
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After the defending champions' early exit from the World Cup 2023 semifinal race, Stokes wants to regain fitness before the upcoming Test series against India which will begin on January 25 in Hyderabad.
"Considering that the T20 World Cup is slated in the West Indies and the United States from June 4 to June 30, the hectic itinerary could mean that Stokes will find it very difficult to stay in India for better part of the first five months of the year," an IPL source told PTI.
IPL 2024 mini-auction is scheduled to be held in Dubai on December 19. All 10 franchises are required to submit the list of retained and released players by November 26.
In Stokes' absence, CSK may eye spin bowling all-rounder Rachin Ravindra who took the World Cup by storm with three centuries and a record-breaking tally of runs for the BlackCaps. On the other hand, Afghanistan's pace bowling all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai is another option that can be groomed by the five-time champions.
Meanwhile, as per a report by Cricbuzz, two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are expected to release New Zealand’s tearaway pacer Lockie Ferguson who they traded from Gujarat Titans (GT) for a whopping Rs 10 crore.
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