Ben Stokes to undergo surgery; ruled out of action for up to 12 weeks
In a disappointing development for cricket fans, English all-rounder Ben Stokes will not play any form of cricket for the next three months.
Ben Stokes is currently with the Rajasthan Royals in India. The all-rounder will return home tomorrow to undergo surgery on his broken finger, which ruled him out of IPL 2021.
It will take Stokes close to 12 weeks to attain match fitness. As a result, the all-rounder will miss the home Test series against New Zealand as well as the limited-overs games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Stokes will likely return to the field during the Test series versus India in the United Kingdom.
“England all-rounder Ben Stokes will be out for up to 12 weeks after a repeat X-ray and CT scan on Thursday revealed that he has a fracture of his left index finger," a statement from ECB read.
Ben Stokes suffered the injury while fielding for the Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2021 season opener against the Punjab Kings. He broke his left index finger while taking Chris Gayle's catch.
Will the Rajasthan Royals sign a replacement for Ben Stokes soon?
Ben Stokes' absence will hurt the Rajasthan Royals and the England cricket team a lot. However, injuries are a part of the game, so the Royals will have to look forward. They managed to beat the Delhi Capitals last night despite Stokes' unavailability and will be looking to motor on in the same vein for the remainder of the tournament.
However, the Royals will be keen to sign a replacement player soon. There are many talented all-rounders available in the list of unsold players. Since Stokes opened the innings for the Jaipur-based franchise, they could also sign a foreign opening batsman as a replacement.
Stokes will undergo surgery in Leeds on Monday and it will be interesting to see if the Rajasthan Royals opt for a replacement.