Ben Stokes gives huge update on his availability for IPL 2023: 'I have spoken to Fleming'

Ben Stokes provided a huge update on his availability for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), following the conclusion of the New Zealand vs England, 2nd Test match at the Basin Reserve in Mount Cook. Stokes suffered a knee injury during the match as he was seen having problems with his left knee while batting on Day 5. Speaking after losing the match, Stokes confirmed his availability for CSK in the IPL 2023, revealing that he has also spoken to the CSK head coach Stephen Fleming.

As quoted by Daily Mail, the England Test captain said, “I’m going to the IPL. I’ve had conversations with ‘Flem’ and he’s fully aware of the situation with my body. It's a week-by-week case at the moment”. 

Shedding light on his injuries, the 31-year-old added, “I’m not going to lie, it’s incredibly frustrating knowing something has been holding me back from performing as I’d like to. I’ve been working hard with the physios and the medics trying to get myself to a place where I can fulfil my role as I have done for the last 10 years.."

Ben Stokes' importance in the CSK squad for IPL 2023

Further revealing his thoughts, Stokes mentioned that he wants to be fit in time ahead of the Ashes 2022 series, which will kick off in June. “I’ve got a four-month period now to get it better before the Ashes because I want to be turning up for the first Test in Birmingham able to fulfil my role properly. I’ll be doing everything I can to give myself the best opportunity not to have to worry about it,” he added.

It is worth noting that media reports earlier claimed Stokes will not play for CSK for the entirety of IPL 2023. The reason behind this was understood to be one-off Test between Ireland and England. This will be England's first Test of the summer, which begins just four days after the IPL 2023 final.

Stokes heads into the IPL 2023 with high stakes as he is among the most expensive players to be sold at the IPL 2023 auction. He was the third expensive player at the auction as he grabbed a bid worth INR 16.25 from four-time champions CSK. He is expected to play for the MS Dhoni-led side in the IPL 2023 opener against Gujarat Titans on March 31.

CSK squad for IPL 2023: MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Mahesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Matheesha Pathirana, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma