Setback for Chennai as Stokes pulls out of IPL 2024

Giving a major setback to MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the forthcoming edition, superstar Ben Stokes has reportedly pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2024. The England Test captain triggered a bidding war at the IPL auction for the 2023 season. Stokes was eventually roped in by CSK for the previous season in which Chennai bagged a record-equalling fifth title under Dhoni's leadership.

Record-time winners CSK had acquired the services of Stokes for a whopping sum of INR 16.25 crore at the IPL 2023 auction. However, CSK's most expensive signing of the IPL 2023 auction will not feature for the Yellow Brigade next season. Stokes has made himself unavailable for the 2024 edition of the cash-rich league - the IPL. The England all-rounder is keen on managing his workload and fitness for England's marquee events. England will play a high-profile Test series against India in 2024.

After a disastrous title defence in India at the One Day International (ODI) World Cup, England will hope to successfully defend its ICC World T20 crown next year. Taking a retirement U-turn for the ODI World Cup, Stokes failed to inspire England as he did in the 2019 edition of the ICC event. The Stokes-starrer side finished seventh in the round-robin phase of the India World Cup. England recorded only three wins in India. The defending champions of the 2023 World Cup were outplayed six times in the league phase.

Stokes entered the IPL 2023 auction at a base price of INR 2 crore. The Englishman surpassed pacer Deepak Chahar to become CSK's most expensive player in the history of IPL. Stokes played only two matches in the IPL 2023 due to a knee injury. Stokes is expected to undergo knee surgery as the Englishman is hoping to regain fitness for England's five-match Test series against India in January.