IPL 2020: Rajasthan Royals’ Ben Stokes reaches Dubai; finds the weather ‘hot’

Ben Stokes has been a critical member of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) ever since he joined the franchise back in 2018. The southpaw had an outstanding campaign for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 and he made a name for himself with all-round performance with bat and ball. However, he is yet to take part in the 2020 edition of the IPL.

It’s been a couple of months since Stokes last played any form of cricket. After England’s opening Test against Pakistan in August, he headed to Christchurch, his birthplace, to attend his ailing father, who’s diagnosed with brain cancer. It was back in January this year during England’s tour of South Africa when Stokes’ father fell prey to the deadly disease.

Warne praises Ben Stokes

In the meantime, former Australian cricketer Shane Warne reckoned that Stokes’ addition to the Royals would be a massive one. “Hopefully, Ben Stokes would play a part this year, he’s a big loss and our thoughts are with him, but you know, add Ben to the team that played the other night and it looks a very, very good side,” Warne was quoted as saying in Hindustan Times.

At the present point in time, the Royals have used Jos Buttler, David Miller, Jofra Archer, Tom Curran and Steve Smith as their five overseas cricketers. The Royals would, most probably, be needing Stokes as they lost their last two matches against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively.

They are currently placed sixth in the points table and are next scheduled to lock horns with Mumbai Indians (MI) on October 6 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Meanwhile, the Royals have all the reasons to cheer as Stokes has landed in Dubai, gearing up for the upcoming matches.

The all-rounder will now have to undergo a quarantine period before he joins the bio-secure bubble. It means that he won’t be able to take part in the next game, going by the necessary COVID-19 protocols. Upon reaching Dubai, Stokes shared an update and also found the weather ‘hot’.

Here’s Stokes’ posts: