Rajasthan suffered a huge blow as their star all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out from the entire season of the Indian T20 League. Stokes had an injury in his finger during the opening game of Rajasthan against Punjab. Jofra Archer is already out from the first half of the tournament and now, Stokes is also out.
“Rajasthan all-rounder Ben Stokes injured a finger on his left hand while fielding during the team's match against Punjab on 12 April 2021 in Mumbai. Subsequent investigations revealed that he sustained a broken finger, which will, unfortunately, rule him out of the remainder of the Indian T20 League 2021 season,” Rajasthan management said in a statement.
Rajasthan will suffer this season with the absence of this player. Their start to the new season wasn’t convincing as Punjab clinched the last-ball thriller by just 4 runs, despite a one-man show from Sanju Samson. The team will announce a replacement soon and Liam Livingstone may now open for Rajasthan from the next game. David Miller is also an option as a fourth overseas player.
Ben Stokes will not fly to England and he will stay in India with Rajasthan’s coaching staff. “We are delighted that Ben would like to stay with the group to provide his valued support and inputs off the field. In the meantime, we will be reviewing potential replacement options for the remainder of the season,” said Rajasthan management.
