Ben Stokes has experienced knee problems, though, and according to some rumours, the left-hander would initially only play for CSK as a pure batter. The most expensive acquisition in the team’s history, the English all-rounder, trained with his new teammates in Ahmedabad.
At the IPL auction in December 2022, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) acquired Ben Stokes for a whopping 16.25 crores, making him the most expensive player in the history of the team. However, Stokes’ season hasn’t gotten off to a fantastic start, though. In his first two games for the team, he bowled just one over while scoring 15 runs. According to numerous sources, he won’t be available for selection until April 30.
Let’s look at three reasons why Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won’t suffer greatly from his absence.
1) Unsteady in 20-over batting form
The 2022 T20 World Cup final featured Ben Stokes, who led England to their second T20 WC victory with an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls. His standing as a T20 player going into the auction was unquestionably improved by this.
But, since his return to international cricket last year, the English Test captain’s T20 performance has not been particularly strong. At an average of 28.6 runs per inning and a strike rate of 106.7, he has scored 143 runs in eight innings.
2) Takes over a foreign position
Moeen Ali and Devon Conway are the two most valuable foreign players for CSK. In their respective positions over the past few seasons, they have done well for the franchise.
One of Mitchell Santner or Mahesh Theekshana will undoubtedly be a member of the starting 11 depending on the field conditions and opposition. Matheesha Pathirana, Dwaine Pretorius, and Ben Stokes are left with just one available spot.
In the lower order and death overs, Pretorius excels at T20 cricket, while Pathirana is anticipated to bolster their bowling in Deepak Chahar’s absence. It is difficult to see how Stokes, a genuine middle-order batter, contributes more value than these two unless he bowls frequently.
3) Unsuitable for the number 3/4 role
In the shortest version of the game, the Englishman is ideally suited to bat as an opener. But, CSK already has two very trustworthy openers in Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Conway is a top-tier anchor-type hitter in the format, while Gaikwad has been one of the franchise’s best players since his debut.
After obtaining early starts from the opening pair, CSK does not really need Ben Stokes’ plodding middle-order batting style at that point in the game. In the two games this season, Ajinkya Rahane has appeared to be in much better form for that particular job.