‘It could be difficult’ – Ben Stokes not sure of participating in the remainder of IPL 2021

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was postponed midway after multiple players and staff members in the bio-bubble contracted the COVID-19 virus. Out of 60 scheduled games, only 29 took place till the season suspension and now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) needs to find a way to conduct the remaining season. With the cricket calendar being jam-packed this year, the board indeed has a daunting task at hand, and it would be interesting to see how they find a window.

Moreover, England & Wales Cricket Board Director of Cricket, Ashley Giles, in a recent interview, stated that the participation of centrally-contracted England players is in doubt if IPL gets rescheduled. This would indeed be a massive blow for many franchises as several big names from England are playing their trade in the gala T20 tournament. Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes, who played just one game due to a finger injury, believes that his participation in the remaining season is not sure.

Ben Stokes on participating in IPL 2021

“We don’t know if or when the tournament will be rearranged, but as the ECB have said it could be difficult for the England boys to have a free gap,” Stokes wrote in his column for Daily Mirror. “After this year though, I do look forward to playing a full part again at some point in the future,” he added.

Addressing his return to action, the World Cup-winning all-rounder asserted that his comeback date is not sure, but he’ll get fit within three months if he continues to recover well. “I can’t put a date on when I’ll be back playing again, but as long as things progress as well as they have then I should hope it will be well before the three months that was first feared and more like seven, eight, or nine weeks,” wrote the 29-year-old.

“You can never know for sure how long these things will take because it is not just about the technical side of healing and getting the bone strong, there is the big issue of having confidence in it to play professional sport,” he asserted.

Stokes has been associated with Rajasthan Royals since 2018 and hence, he had a difficult time in bidding farewell to the franchise knowing India’s critical situation due to the coronavirus crisis.

“It was tough to say goodbye to the guys at the Rajasthan Royals earlier than I wanted, but the subsequent suspension of the tournament means that everyone is now back early with their families as India tries to get through such a difficult time,” added Stokes.