In line with the speculations prior to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season, the English Test skipper will be travelling back to his country of international representation at the end of the league stage game, according to a report that is being circulated around the internet.
"He will return to the UK after their final group game against Delhi Capitals on Saturday afternoon, having previously indicated that he would 'give myself enough time to get back and play' in England's Test against Ireland at Lord's on June 1, a fixture which is being viewed primarily as Ashes preparation," said the report by ESPNCricInfo.
The IPL will final will take place on May 28, just four days before the aforementioned Test against Ireland at the Lord's which precedes their five-match Ashes series.
Stokes has flourished after taking over the Test captaincy of his side with 10 wins in 11 matches since taking over full-time. "Yes, I'll play," Stokes answered when asked if he will play the Ireland Test. "I'll be making sure that I give myself enough time to get back and play that [Ireland] game."
The 2019 ODI World Cup winner and 2022 T20 World Cup winner with England was signed by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 16.25 crore in the IPL auction.
However, the veteran has played only two matches for the four-time IPL champions. He was expensive with the ball in both matches and only managed 7 runs against the Gujarat Titans and 8 against the Lucknow Super Giants. He will most likely not feature in their final league game of the season against the Delhi Capitals and is set to return home after playing just two matches, casting doubts on whether CSK will retain him or not.
Meanwhile, with seven wins in 13 matches, CSK are comfortably on second spot in the points table. They are primed to return to the playoffs after a dismal IPL 2022 season and a win in their last league fixture will increase their chances of a top-two finish in the points table.
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