IPL 2024 Auction: With Stokes, there were a lot of doubts over his participation as he would now undergo surgery on his left knee and the procedure necessitates close to two months for recovery.
Chennai: We are less than a month away from the IPL 2024 auction and most franchises are planning the players they would like to release. While all that is happening backdoor, the CSK franchise has sent a release which reveals that they would be releasing Ben Stokes ahead of the auction. With Stokes, there were a lot of doubts over his participation as he would now undergo surgery on his left knee and the procedure necessitates close to two months for recovery. The report suggests that the CSK management has had a word with the former English captain about it.
A CSK official stated, “We would not consider releasing Stokes if he could be available because he is a big match player, and we hold him in the highest regard. But if he can’t make it to the season, we will have blocked Rs 16 crore with which we could acquire some quality players.”
Another player who could be released ahead of the auctions is Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Lockie Ferguson. The Kiwi pacer was initially part of the Gujarat Titans squad. He was later traded to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023. Given his injury history, the KKR management is reportedly contemplating his release.
Meanwhile, Jofra Archer is likely to be released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction after the England pacer experienced elbow pain while training with the national team in Mumbai. Archer, who wasn’t part of England’s ODI World Cup 2023 squad, has been travelling with the team in India during his rehabilitation.
A 2019 World Cup winner with England, Archer’s career has been plagued with injuries since 2021. He was out of action for 18 months before making his international comeback earlier in the year. Archer also played five matches in IPL 2023 before being ruled out midway into the tournament again. Since then, the right-arm pacer didn’t play any competitive games.