IPL 2021: Ben Stokes Ruled Out of Tournament With Suspected Broken Hand – Report
Ben Stokes sustained the injury when he caught Chris Gayle in RR's first game against Punjab Kings on Monday.
In what is a massive blow to the Rajasthan Royals, England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of IPL 2021.
As per reports of The Independent, Stoke is suspected to have a broken hand. The English allrounder sustained the injury during Rajasthan Royals’ opening match with Punjab Kings on Monday when taking a catch to dismiss Chris Gayle.
Later, Rajasthan Royals also confirmed the news on social media.
“Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes injured a finger on his left hand while fielding during the team’s match against Punjab Kings 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 Premier League 2021 season,” RR said in a statement.
“Everyone at Rajasthan Royals absolutely admires Ben for being such a huge asset and a valuable member of the Royals family, both on and off the field, and wishes him a speedy recovery. 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,” they added.
During, Punjab’s batting, Stokes also dropped a catch. However, he compensated for it by catching Universe Boss’ catch. Stokes ran in from long-on and dived forward to complete the dismissal of Gayle and immediately felt discomfort in his left hand, grimacing as he got up to celebrate with his teammates.
Stokes, who was in visible discomfort, continued to play the match but did not bowl any further.
Opening the innings shortly after, Stokes was dismissed for a three-ball duck.
According to the reports, Stokes will not take part in the remainder of the season for the Royals and will remain in India for a week. The England Cricket Board (ECB) is in contact with the Rajasthan Royals over the all-rounder’s injury and Stokes is expected to have an X-ray on Thursday to determine the extent of the injury.
ECB would be scratching their heads over the fitness of ace all-rounder before a jam-packed nine months to follow. After playing New Zealand, England will host five Tests against India and will then proceed for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. Stokes is key to England’s team across formats and the injury will come as a huge blow to the reigning 50-over world champions.
