IPL 2021: Ben Stokes ruled out of the tournament with a suspected broken hand

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He featured for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the match against Punjab Kings on Monday which went down the wire. Stokes has been ruled out due to an injury he sustained while taking Chris Gayle’s catch.

Soon after completing the catch, he felt discomfort in his left hand and was seen sitting in the dugout getting treatment. He bowled only a single over in the match and though the left-hander came out to open the innings, he couldn’t open his account. This is a huge blow for the Royals who finished at 8th place last season and they were banking on Stokes who is considered as one of the best all-rounders in world cricket.

The Independent reported that news of Ben Stokes being ruled out of the entire season. The report also added that he will stay in India for around a week before flying back home. Stokes is expected to have an X-Ray on Thursday and determine the damage done before the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) takes over the matter to plan his recovery.

Big 9 months for England

ECB will now be worried as there is a lot of cricket to be played in the next nine months including the T20 World Cup in India. Even Ashes is scheduled to be played and it remains to be seen if Ben Stokes will be able to recover in time. England are also scheduled to play a Test series against New Zealand at home in June.

However, the hosts were supposedly set to miss their key players who are playing in the IPL at the moment. Clarity over Ben Stokes’s injury will only come after his X-Ray reports come out it seems. Meanwhile, the Royals will now be looking for a replacement for the all-rounder and it will be interesting to see whom they sign for the rest of the IPL season.