Published 17:12 IST, September 7th 2020
IPL 2020: Ben Stokes might miss the first part of the tournament due to personal reasons
Ben Stokes is expected to miss the first part of the IPL 2020 due to personal reasons. He was retained by the inaugural edition winners Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals have found themselves in a spot of bother just days before the IPL 2020 gets underway as one of their star players Ben Stokes might end up missing the first part of the tournament as he is currently in New Zealand to be with his ailing father Ged. In fact, Ben left for Christchurch in the middle of the Test series against Pakistan last month after his father, a former All Blacks International, was diagnosed with brain cancer.
'He would not be available for the first part of the IPL'
'As per quarantine rules in New Zealand, Ben has just completed his 14-day isolation period after reaching New Zealand. Now he will be meeting his father and obviously he would like to spend some quiet time with his family in this time of crisis,' a source privy to developments in the franchise told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
'It is only logical that if he has just completed his quarantine, he would not be available for the first part of the IPL and that is completely understandable. The franchise will not even call Ben as this is not a priority at the moment. Let him spend quality family time and any discussions on his availability can happen only after that,' the source added.
It is understood that the franchise will 'wait' for Stokes to get back to the management and only if the cricketer confirms his availability for the second half, it will take things forward. The 2019 World Cup winner has been retained by the inaugural edition winners for INR 12.5 crore.
IPL 2020: Arch-rivals MI & CSK to start the proceedings
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is nearly two weeks away and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally released the much-awaited IPL schedule on Sunday. Defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener on September 19 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
The cricketing carnival will be played across three venues - Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi. According to the newly announced IPL time table, Dubai will host 24 games, Abu Dhabi will host 21 games while Sharjah will be hosting 12 games.
The 53-day tournament will witness 10 afternoon matches starting at 3:30 PM (IST) while the evening matches will start at 7:30 PM (IST).
Meanwhile, this will also be the first time that an IPL final will be played on a weekday. The tournament decider will be played on November 10 i.e. on the day of Diwali.
Updated 17:12 IST, September 7th 2020