Ben Stokes remains a doubt for the T20 World Cup after opting out of second leg of IPL

Ben Stokes was last seen in action during The Hundred, where he played a couple of matches for the Northern Superchargers.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes could potentially miss the T20 World Cup in the UAE after having opted against playing in the second leg of the IPL. Stokes took an indefinite break from cricket prior to the ongoing Test series against India to take care of his mental health.

A proud week for me to captain my country and play my 100th ODI. The way this group of lads played after coming together at such short notice was incredible. The future’s bright!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/dI4FQiZmGV
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 14, 2021

Stokes only represented the Rajasthan Royals in a single match this season before suffering a finger injury, which is reportedly still healing following surgery. It is yet to be known whether the all-rounder will be keen to represent England at the showpiece event in the next couple of months. Sources close to the player claim that 'he is not even thinking about cricket at the moment'.

The enigmatic all-rounder was part of the last piece of action in the T20 World Cup. He bowled the last over of the 2016 edition and was hit for four sixes by Carlos Brathwaite at Eden Gardens to end the competition.

Ben Stokes could be named in the squad or among the reserves

The ICC has put forth a deadline for submitting the squads which is Friday, September 10. So, the parties involved will have to come up with a solution soon.

Teams are required to submit a 15-man squad of 3 reserve players. With the teams allowed to make changes to the squad until October 10, which is a week before the tournament commences with the qualification stage, England could very well include Stokes among the ranks and leave him out if he chooses not to play and continue his break.

Group A is "Group of death" in T20 World Cup 2021 with Australia, England, West Indies, South Africa.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 16, 2021

The ECB are unlikely to put any imposition on the player, having announced their intention to give him all the time he needs. Stokes announced his decision to take an indefinite break on July 30.

Rajasthan Royals named the Caribbean duo of Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas as the replacements for Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes for the remainder of the IPL.

England are drawn alongside Australia, West Indies and South Africa for the Super 12 stage. They will be joined by 2 more members following the culmination of the qualification stage.